


The Forest Inside

by blackwrapper



Series: Der Wald Innerhalb [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bonding, M/M, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Pack Dynamics, Scenting, Slow Burn, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 01:44:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 66,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2563685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackwrapper/pseuds/blackwrapper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you are handling the stress of magic and your werewolf best friends conquest for love, it's hard to comprehend the dangers that surround your own town when the worse thing to happen to anyone else was a will o' wisp attack. A horrible turn of events leave Scott and Stiles separated without the option of going home and Stiles has to survive the forest and his assailants while finding his friend.  His one ally, something that is more myth and legend, the Alpha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Updates Thursday Evenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this a while ago and I'm planning to read through this all again and fix all my mistakes hopefully so if you are just finding this hopefully I've done this so enjoy!
> 
> Also, here is picture I drew for this story when I was a young lass and full of energy!
> 
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/1d166b297b66497cb6a4038b54622b7d/tumblr_nkk6qzfvdV1rfnhm7o1_540.png

The first November wind, crisp with autumn, surged through the forest until it made its debut into the clearing that held the town of Beacon Hills. A small little hamlet but it was home. Stiles felt the air course through him even with the thick cloak he held close to his body. Despite that precaution a shiver worked its way through him causing his teeth to clatter together. Usually he wasn't one to get up this early in the morning, at least not early enough to see the sunrise for himself.

"Of all the freaking days to get up this early, it had to be the day winter wanted to show its first asscrack of the season" Stiles cursed to no one in particular but he felt it warm his spirit up at least. Even his shivering was beginning to abate. "Scott could have wanted to meet up in the afternoon in Greenburgs bar but nope, had to go with the morning secrecy."

Stiles knew he really couldn't blame his friend for this one, any other time he would be the one instigating it, but last night he had stayed up into the wee hours of the night. He had been working on a possible new tattoo which meant one thing for him, no sleep, that is until his body decided he didn't have a choice. If it hadn't been for his Dad leaving for work and slamming the door 'accidentally', he probably would have been still asleep. This would have inevitably led to Scott hunting him down. Waking up to your best friend leering over you in your window is in fact not one of the best wake up calls.

This was something Stiles knew all too well and was determined not to have too many repeats. If he could help it that is.

Letting a sigh loose, he continued his way down the winding dirt roads, made by the frequent foot traffic, to his destination. 

Scott it seemed had a flair for dramatics wanting to meet up in the woods instead of at either of their houses or in a public space. It wasn't like anyone was really up, the road mostly empty except for a few traders who shot him strange looks. Stiles did his best to shoot them his winning smile back daring them to let their gaze linger longer than it was socially acceptable. 

He cursed inwardly knowing he should have insisted on a better time. Preferably when there wasn't dew still on the grass.

Stiles let out a groan and over dramatically kicked at the dirt thinking more on how it was such a bad time. Every person he saw was going to gossip to anyone who would listen about the sheriffs kid meandering around suspiciously in the morning. People here really didn't have much to talk about.

This being a small settlement meant it rarely saw its share of action that the more larger ones happened to have. There were a few stories every once in a while of a will-o-wisp trying ensnare a lumberjack or of a weakened vampire being hunted down by the Hunters in the region. His favorite was any rumor surrounding the Alpha but that happened as regularly as a harvest moon. All in all, there was very little to keep the populace entertained outside the happenings of their neighbors. 

Cinching his hood closer to his face in a childish fashion, Stiles quickened his pace to the designated meet up spot. Luckily, it wasn't long before he saw Scott's familiar face peek into view between the trees with a hand upraised and waving vigorously at him. Way to be conspicuous Scott, though Stiles did end up waving back.

Scott's kind face held a smile but stress attached itself to him in the way of tense muscles and fidgeting. Stiles knew all too well what the anxiety was from. He entered into the trees and Scott's arm fell as he looked like he wanted to start pacing to let the pent up energy have another outlet.

"This is about Allison, isn't it?" No one could say Stiles Stilinski wasn't blunt.

Scott's silence and sudden break in eye contact was the only answer he needed. Stiles pulled his hood down and stalked over to the closest oak to lean on it as he tried to get all his thoughts in order. 

Allison Argent wouldn't have had been has big of issue if what had happened a year ago hadn't occurred. It would have been trouble all right though, her being an Argent meant she was an elite member of the countries Hunting Clan. A group that ranged all across the land and hunted anything that wasn't one hundred percent human and was deemed an appropriate threat. 

Upon learning that she was also the daughter of one of the leaders had made Stiles about have a heart attack. So yes, it would have been difficult for them to be together but still possible. What made it 99.9% impossible was the major issue that transpired last September. 

Beacon Hills was well known for just a few things, they had above average beer and their level of supernatural occurrences was surprisingly low. This all meant that Hunters were rarely needed and the bane of complacency descended on many of the populace and him and Scott were no exception. Stiles himself looked back at his cockiness with disdain thinking his spark would be able to protect him and his friend from whatever trivial supernatural they could have possibly encountered.

All his pride had left him the moment Stiles saw his friend emerge from the brush battered and broken. Scott had been pale with his hand clasped to his side in an attempt to staunch the blood pushing its way through his fingers. This event earned Scott a one way ticket to the world of being an omega werewolf. The only good thing that had come out of it was that they heard later the Hunters had killed the werewolf that had done the act without ever learning about Scott.

The first month was rough with Scott attempting to kill Stiles about three times. One time for apparently peeing too close to where Scott had previously gone. The rest of the year was composed of odd moments interlaced with Scott almost revealing to the entire town his furrier side. If the town thoughts Stiles had developed an increased "accidental" spree of lighting odd objects on fire, well that was the lesser of two evils.

That they could have handled but then Scott had to make the ultimate mistake of thinking with his other head. It was just two months ago that there was a sighting of the Alpha. A local legend, or myth if you listen to certain people, about a wolf that wandered through the forests evading all that wanted to kill it which was majorly trophy hunters and the Hunter Clan. The death toll left in its wake was high but not as high as you would expect it to be from something that powerful.

Whenever there is a credible sighting of it though, a group of Hunters would be sure to show up at the local town that held the source. 

Jackson Whittemore, a fellow age mate of Scott and Stiles, was the eye witness reporting he saw it while out in the woods collecting wood. Normally a collected individual with enough ego to float away if he wanted to. The night he came running back into town looked like he had just had a hard bout of stomach sickness. 

Sweat clung to every inch of him with a pallor that could rival any ghost that dared show its face. He had told the story as best as he could sucking in breaths like a drowning man coming up for air. This all led to the a small group of Hunters coming to their town and in that group was a Ms. Allison Argent. Dead eye shot with a bow and cunning to boot if the gossip that surrounded her was to be believed though Stiles didn't doubt a word of it. 

He had seen her when the group of Hunters had rode into town on their black horses. She was good looking with wavy brunette hair that made all of the girls in town jealous. Her armor was well fitted but he could see the wear it had gone through, battle tested. Her bow was a fixture on her back that looked as if it was another limb from the way she carried herself. 

His eyes had caught hers as the group began to pass by him and Scott as they hung out by Stiles house. They had both ventured out to watch the procession curious for different reasons. Stiles knew the Hunters were on his way to meet with his dad, the towns sheriff to discuss what had transpired. 

She had smiled but she was like a cougar walking among lambs. Scott on the other hand let out an audible dreamy sigh next to him and raised his hand in a shy wave. Her eyes immediately had darted to his and one of the most genuine smiles had flitted across her features as she raised a hand back in a formal wave. 

That small moment led to him and Scott standing in the woods together now with the tension so thick it seemed that the trees were afraid to move. 

Scott was the first to break the silence, "I love her you know." His voice was small but the truth strengthened the words.

"You've known her for what, two months?" Stiles retorted back losing some of his worn patience. He had of course seen the puppy dog eyes he had thrown her way as the Hunters stayed in town but he never would have thought it would lead to him saying those words.

"I don't know how to explain it, it's like a piece was never there all my life and now its there and I don't want to lose it. No matter what." Scott stood straighter like the trees surrounding them as the sentence went on, almost as if feeding off its resolve. 

"Dude, you are seventeen and have fallen for the worst possible person in the world. You do know what you are and what she is or did eating one too many rabbits give you something wrong in the head?"

"Maybe its fate?" Scott offered weakly shrugging. "I don't know how else to explain it to you. All I know is how I feel about her isn't going to change, not even if I wanted it to."

Stiles ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to compose himself. It had only recently grown out from the buzz cut he had been forced into from one of his more zealous fire distractions and served to diffuse his frustration in this dire time. This was his best friend and he had spent the last year by his side helping him. He knew he didn't have in it him to stop now.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Scott perked up immediately upon hearing those words. Stiles just noticed his claws had emerged when they started to recede back into his hand. "And it better be a good one because I am not experiencing another plan like the one which ended up with me stuck in a barrel for four hours."

"I'm going to meet up with Allison tonight..." Scott paused, Stiles guessed he was searching for the right words, "I'm, er, going to tell her the truth." Scott tensed up looking down when he finished like he just realized the sheer stupidity of his statement after he spoke it.

Stiles, for the first time in a long time, was at a loss for words. Here he came in thinking that Scott simply wanted to try and meet up with Allison again as she passed through the area. But to tell a Hunter that her "boyfriend" was not only inhuman but a werewolf, one of the main supernaturals they hunted, just seemed insane. Maybe if they had dated longer than two freaking months than maybe it could be done but right now it seemed like a suicide mission.

"So what you are trying to tell me is that you want to tell your capital H, Hunter lady friend that you are a werewolf, for what, shits and giggles?" Stiles stalked over to where Scott was standing, oblivious for once to the dangers of challenging a werewolf head on, and stared at him directly. Only a foot of space separated them and Scott didn't break his gaze. "She will kill you Scott, she will shove an arrow through your heart."

He emphasized this with a finger jabbing into Scott's sternum. 

Scott snarled at that and gave him an abrupt shove backwards. "She won't, I know she won't. She only hunts to protect people."

"And if she deems you a threat?" Stiles retorted back standing up straight like the shove hadn't fazed him in the least.

"I already said she won't, she knows that I wouldn't hurt anyone. Hell, I still can't help put down animals that need to be." Scott's fight in him seeped away as he turned his pleading eyes to Stile once more. "I'm coming to you as a friend, my best friend, I need you on this. I need someone to be on watch in case anybody follows her or me."

Stiles could feel himself melt again. Heaving his shoulders up and down dramatically he let loose a great sigh. "Alright, you can be the big ole hero and I'll be in the shadows to help, but I swear if this goes south it's going to suck." 

He fixed Scott with a look that he hoped showed what he was getting at. To Scott's credit he nodded curtly with a set jaw to show he did. Stiles finally shot him a grin and with a flair of his cloak he wrapped an arm around his best friends shoulder and gave a hard squeeze. 

"We'll figure it out no matter what. We always have, haven't we?" Stiles proclaimed to the forest as well as Scott. "Look at what we've accomplished this year and none of us have died from that."

Scott reached an arm up and gave him a hearty half embrace in return causing a squeak to escape Stiles mouth as the werewolf strength was displayed unintentionally. 

"Couldn't have done it without you. And I know I can't do this alone tonight."

Stiles shoved Scott away and ducked under the feigned punch that followed after. "Yeah, yeah I know, I'm just too damn amazing for my own good." Shooting his friend a wide grin, Stiles sat down under a tree and patted the spot next to him. "Now get your butt down here so we can figure out the fine details of this mission impossible."

It took a little while but after the sun had reached its apex in the sky and his and Scott's stomachs were growling, the plan had a firm basis in reality. 

"This might actually work, you know except if she ends up trying to kill you." Stiles proclaimed as he stood, stretching out and was rewarded with a multitude of cracks. "But with me in a tree close by we might be able to get your ass out of there in time."

"She won't." Scott stated, filled with resolve. 

"I hope, for both our sakes, she doesn't."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, kind of boring chapter but its there to set the scene. THE SCENE DAMMIT.

Stiles and Scott parted ways before they hit the wall of houses that marked the edge of town with the agreement to meet up before twilight hit. Scott gave him a firm nod before stepping away and going down his own path. They both had to go on with their day as if tonight wasn't happening and Stiles hoped Scott could do it without slipping up. 

He pictured Scott going about his day with a permanent nervous look on his face and shuddered. Since this had to do with protecting Allison, he figured that Scott would pull out all the stops to prevent anything from going wrong. Which meant that he had a 60/40 chance of not screwing the pooch. 

Swiveling on his feet, Stiles pivoted in the direction of his house and took off at a quick pace. He couldn't stop thinking about the plan and going over every detail. His head was starting to feel crowded from the force of it like a maze with no end. He hoped when he got home he would find some measure of peace in the familiar setting

That or freak out more, it could go either way at this point honestly. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He liked to think he was better than that.

This time, as he meandered through the streets there were carts and people to dodge but at least no one seemed to be staring at him quite like this morning. Stares were more common than not but that usually came with the territory of having the Spark. People were always waiting for him to have another "accident". Another reason to justify their fear.

He kept his head up high pretending he was above it all. It wasn't like he interacted with them much anyway, usually just kept up with the circles of friends he had. Not that those circles were large but beggars couldn't be choosers. Fortunately, with his brisk stride, he made it back to his house with plenty of time to spare before he met up with his tutor Deaton. 

Pulling off his cloak, he dumped it on the chair next to the table and started on making a somewhat healthy stew that would be able to sit for a while for his Dad. His Dad never was one to go out of his way to choose the healthier option even with the warnings from Deaton forcing Stiles hand. Chopping up the vegetables at least kept his body busy but not so much his mind which continued to whirl. 

He couldn't get rid of the feeling that they might be making the same kind of mistake they made a year ago. Stiles could feel the same lump in his stomach form in trepidation but they were too deep now. Scott was uncannily like a dog with a bone when he got his mind set on something - ironically enough. While admirable in some degrees such as when he nursed back a dying bird back to health despite constant badgering for him to give up, in this moment Stiles hated him slightly for it.

"Damnit." The curse came out sharp and filled with frustration as he brought his knife down a bit too hard on the carrot he was chopping. His hands were slightly shaking so he dropped the knife rather than risk losing a finger. 

The beginnings of losing control were starting to seep in on him. An all too familiar feelings from the days when his mom had first died and the beginnings of last year. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing and keeping it steady. 

In and out...in and out...in...out.

Keep yourself together man. The thought buzzed angrily in his ears as the self loathing kicked in. He had been through worse than this and will probably be in worse shit in the future. Getting freaked out now won't help anything, just would make things worse. One of them had to keep their head on straight and that wasn't going to be Scott. 

Only when the tremors subsided and his breathing had evened out, did he grab all the ingredients and dump them in the pot to cook. Before he knew it, he was pacing up and down the small kitchen in an effort to work out the rest of his jitters. You got to keep yourself calm or Deaton is going to know for sure something is going on he practically demanded of himself. At the last turn he draped himself across a chair somewhat dramatically to ease the tension. 

His fingers immediately went up and down his arms to feel the comforting magic coursing underneath. The extra magic hummed, contained in the tattoo he had etched into his skin. It thrived just underneath his skin stored in the intricate runes for when it was needed. Magic was a tricky tool, something Stiles had learned the hard way like so many before him but for the time being it served as a reminder he did have something on his side. Some pantheon of control. 

Time passed with Stiles feeling like he was about to doze off and let the house catch on fire. This time from the oven and not from something he did. When he was finally able to remove the stew off the heat, he collected his books and cloak before starting out the door. 

His destination this time was the one and only other magic users place in Beacon Hills, Deaton's house.

When he got there, Deaton greeted him at the door with a look that screamed 'I know way more than I will ever'. At least, that was what it appeared to Stiles about seventy five percent of the time. He never could put his finger on it but he could swear that the major reason the town rarely had any issues with supernaturals was due to the quiet man standing in front of him right now who was currently gesturing towards the table.

Stiles plopped his butt down in the empty chair and placed his books he brought on the table. The books hit the table with a thump causing the candles placed in the middle to almost tip over. When they settled down, Stiles let arms and body relax back into the chair. Deaton sat down across from him with much more grace than his counterpart giving him another knowing look.

Stiles shot back a look of his own but his talent could not compete with the man across from him in that sort of display. He had to rely on his words and even that was iffy.

"Now where did we leave off?" Deaton mused as if he didn't have the slightest clue. Stiles shot him a deadpan look knowing, without a doubt, the man knew the exact sentence they had ended on the last time they had met.

Deaton wasn't going to give an inch and would probably sit there the whole time until Stiles answered him. Stiles knew this because that is exactly how one of their more complicated lessons had gone. What could he say, that was when puberty had hit and he had started to notice things.

"We were discussing the theory behind magical exchange and why it works the way it does." Stiles droned back at him trying to keep straight face going. It wasn't his favorite subject but it was one they often talked about since it was such a crucial topic to understand. Crucial but painfully dry. Even so, it rankled him more than he would like to admit. 

"Ah yes, I think you are correct." He didn't move but the candles that had been burning snuffed out as if all individually were blown out. "Something as simple as that took me about how much energy?"

"Waving your hand a couple of times if you didn't know what you were doing." 

"And why is that?"

"Because that is how much energy it would have taken you to do it physically." Stiles tried to keep the mocking tone to a minimum but it got more difficult each time.

"That is what people believe yes." The next moment the candles were once again lit. "It is interesting to see though that the energy to relight it is not me standing up and lighting them physically but can either be much more or much less, why is that?

"Probably because you can either know the best mechanic to do it or not." Fire was a tricky thing. It all depended if you used wood to help with it, or the size. It also all amounted to creative thinking to give your magic the edge. If you didn't know the best way it was just a waste of energy. But, on the other hand if you did, Deaton could have easily lit a town filled with candles without breaking a sweat. 

And that wasn't even going into the intricacies of how different people were in the amount of innate spark they had if they even had one at all. Some people can only do a simple chore a day with it while some had been known to be endless pits of it. The latter usually didn't last long though due to different reasons that Stiles didn't like to think about. There was a reason that Hunters sometimes gave them sidelong glances. 

Stiles prided himself in his talent of being able to, most of the time, deduce the best mechanics to use the least amount of his spark or energy. If he didn't get down right away, he practiced until the differences were minuscule. Utilizing magic for the same task over and over again, even without an intent to make it more efficient, almost always resulted in less energy being used, almost unconsciously so. 

"And this is why we must...?" Deaton looked at him to continue the oft said statement determined to drill it into Stiles head.

"We must, when using magic, start low and go slow." Which all amounted to, if you wanted to try something new that you had no idea how much energy it would take, to start at the most basic level and work your way up to gauge how much it took. If you didn't follow this, and luck was not on your side, you could end up sapping from your own life force and dying. 

"With that said, how has your progression been?" Deaton finally concluded leaving the depressing topic behind for hopefully a better conversation.

"I'm working on a new rune to store more of my spark." He extended his arm to show him. The black lines and intricate etchings pulsed with the mysterious energy and seemed to reach towards Deaton as if recognizing him as a fellow wielder. Deaton reached forward and traced a brown finger along them in silent agreement. "Plus, the side effect of them looking bad ass doesn't hurt." Stiles added with a flourish admiring his work. 

Stiles grinned at his mentor but Deaton merely continued to stare at Stiles handiwork. Deaton had been the one to initially give him the idea to do it after telling him about how wandering tribes of shamans in the past had practiced the act. Often a new rune was earned after a spiritual journey but Stiles just "earned" his from his own research.

"You do have a way with words don't you?" Deaton finally responded with a smile showing through in his tone. Stiles mentally gave himself a high-five as Deaton returned his hand to his lap and started into a lecture about the man who had tried to make it rain when his country had suffered a drought. 

Stiles found himself listening the entire time as Deaton explained the intricacies of manipulating natural forces such as weather. Unfortunately, it didn't have a happy ending. The man succeeded in having enough energy to start the process of rain but died on the spot the second the first raindrop hit the ground. 

Stiles thought the man could have avoided that if he had tried a smaller attempt first, maybe just a small rain cloud, before blowing his whole load at once. Or maybe if he had tried to work with some of the clouds that might have already been around. 

Stiles left the weekly meeting feeling irritated and with a new assignment to figure out a way the man could have succeeded. The feeling remained even as he reentered his house but it washed away somewhat when he saw his Dad. 

"Hello son, how's your day going?" John asked between chunks of stew he was currently working on. His crossbow was propped up next to his chair with a bolt already loaded. Stiles honestly couldn't remember seeing the weapon without a bolt ready to go.

"Oh, you know, hunky dory." Stiles answered back with shrugging shoulders to accompany the statement. No mention of magic was to be had. Though it was an always present factor in their lives due to his spark, the sadness that dwelled in his father's eyes whenever it was brought up wasn't worth the conversation. "I heard that the Hunters are passing close by on their way to Arcata."

John didn't even pause in eating the stew.

"You wanna tell me why that is?" Stiles pestered as he grabbed a bowl for himself and sat in his chair knowing that someone from the group would have come and talked to him since his dad was the Sheriff. "You know you do."

His Dad merely glanced at him with raised eyebrows and a small smirk. "You know I can't do that son. If I tell you, then Scott will know and that means the rest of the town will."

"Can't blame me for trying and Scott isn't that big of a blabber mouth." He mocked a sad tone of defeat and plastered a sad look to his face but to his Dads credit, the man didn't spare him another look.

If he really wanted to know, Stiles did have some strategies of finding out but today he decided to let it slide. Something's were probably better left untouched at the present time. His Dad, if he noticed the lack of usual probing, didn't bring it up but smiled at him with raised eyebrows at the lack of badgering between spoonfuls.

It felt like only minutes had passed but soon his Dad was excusing himself. He hoisted his crossbow onto his back and patted Stiles on the shoulder as he passed by to dump his bowl in the sink before turning to leave.

"Love you, I'll be back later tonight. Don't stay up too late." He paused by the doorway. "And don't think I didn't see the light under you door when I got home last night. 

Before Stiles could come up with the witty response he knew he was fully capable of, his Dad was walking away laughing at his own joke. 

Stiles let himself listen to his Dad until the sound of his laughter was washed away to be filled with the usual background ambiance. He sat for a further moment still before he pushed up from the chair and looked out the window. 

The sky was dimly lit with the sun casting long shadows as the day came to a silent close. Stiles took one last glance around the house before saying screw it and grabbing a small dagger from his room. He shoved it between his boot and sock as a last ditch sort of thing. Better safe than sorry.

There is that feeling again Stiles thought ruefully.

It crept up on the back of his neck and seemed to be bashing him over the head. Stiles regretted that even if he wanted to back out, it was too late. Scott was probably already waiting for him at the meet up spot and talking him out of it now was going to be like trying to make the sun rise back up in the sky.

Shaking his head, he set his shoulders back and closed the front door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD! Love this chapter

By the time Stiles made it to the outskirts of town, to the designated meeting spot, it was completely dark out with only the moon and stars for light. Scott was currently pacing underneath a tree and from the sound of it, giving himself a motivational pep talk. Stiles didn't get a chance to make out the details of the aforementioned pep talk because once he got near Scott's head jerked up to meet his eyes. 

The lighting gave him a ghastly look but Stiles ignored it in favor of playfully shoving his friend.

"You ready Romeo?" He grinned at Scott trying to loosen the tension he saw on his friends face. 

Scott's response was to rub the back of his neck and look at him with wide eyes. They say eyes are the window to a person soul and right now Scott's soul was screaming of anxiety. 

Setting his own shoulders back to show off his fake confidence, Stiles went into action, "Don't worry too much, trust that gut feeling you were raving about earlier. You know, the one where true love will conquer all." And somehow make you invincible to any arrows but Stiles figured it was best to keep that one to himself.

This caught Scott's attention and he straightened out. "You're right, I just had too much time to think about it today. Gave me a wicked case of the ru-"

"Whoa now, TMI Scott. No need to divulge everything to me." Stiles rushed out, already getting a mental picture he so did not want right now. He shook himself out as if to physically rid himself of the image. 

"Sorry, that kind of just fell out." He looked sheepish and drew his hands down his face as if trying to wipe his face clean of emotion, "Let's just get going before someone sees us. I’m getting jittery standing here in the open." 

Stiles gestured wildly around them, "Yep, all these prying eyes all around us. I think that rabbit is up to something." He jabbed his finger outwards. 

The rabbit, which happened to be in the area, stared at them before hopping cordially away. Scott and Stiles watched it as it disappeared into some nearby bushes.

"You know what I mean." Scott finally said, sounding calmer now before taking off into the woods. Scott being a werewolf meant that his night vision was automatically better than Stiles. That meant that he got the pleasure of not being able to see any of the tripping hazards Scott was so easily able to dodge without a thought. 

He attempted to stick to his friends’ path, not wanting to risk lighting a fire in order to see better, but even so, he fell forward a few times and had to catch himself either on a tree or Scott himself. 

After Scott shot him a look, or at least looked like in the dark that he shot him a look, Stiles muttered. "Normal person here, geeze." Well, as normal as someone like him could get anyways.

Their hike took them deep into the forest. It made Stiles feel like that rabbit probably did earlier, like prey. Luckily, it was shortly after those instincts started to kick in when Scott motioned them to come to a stop. 

"She's up ahead a few yards. I'm going to head out and you climb up a tree, but be stealthy about it." Stiles couldn’t help but notice that his friend highly resembled what the towns dogs did when the caught the scent of whatever they were tracking. 

"Is she alone?" Stiles questioned trying to peer into the darkness squinting despite it doing nothing to improve his vision.

"I don't smell anyone but her and a few deer in the area." Scott said scenting the air. Even in the dark, looked nervous but strangely confident for a man about to go confess a dangerous secret. 

Stiles nodded, trusting Scott on this one. Even if his heart was starting to beat faster, he kept up the calm appearance for both of their nerves.

"Okay then, be careful bud." Stiles clasped Scott's shoulder in solidarity as the unspoken pact of friendship hung around them. "I'll be right behind you if anything happens."

Please don't let it come to that he thought. Let the talk be short and sweet with minimal making out. If he could be back in bed before morning hit he would count himself lucky. 

Scott nodded and grabbed Stiles shoulder back for a moment before finally letting go. Stiles hand fell away as his friend walked out between the trees to the small clearing that held Allison. He heard Scott yell out a greeting as he scrambled forward, quite stealthily he might add, to a close tree and doing his best to pull himself up it. 

If his muscles shook and if he was less than graceful in the act, well he blamed that at lack of practice. It had a been a bit since he and Scott had climbed trees as kid. Plus the darkness did not help with matters.

As he did so, he did his best to eavesdrop onto the conversation but unlike Scott his ears were human and their voices had dropped down to whispering tones. Once he got himself hauled up on a thick branch with a curtain of leaves surrounding him, he tapped into the magic etched in his tattoos and brought up a well practiced hearing charm.

Lots of closed door meetings with his Dad and the locals made it essential growing up in the Stilinski household. His curiosity demanded a lot of him, he had been powerless to say no. Plus with his spark, well let's just say the temptation was too strong.

The abundance of practice made the energy usage minimal meaning it didn’t even drain a whole rune when his ears began to pick up the conversation between the two lovebirds His view through the leaves showed that they were closely embraced. They nuzzled into each other as it looked like they were simply enjoying the fact they were once again together.

Scott, you sly dog.

"I'm so glad we got to meet up, going back and forth has been so hard." Allison's voiced sounded as if her and Scott were merely five feet away. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you so much too." Scott looked like he hugged her a bit tighter before pulling away to kiss her. Stiles heart briefly flinched as the cold hand of jealousy flared inside of him. Their kiss lasted quite a bit of time before they pulled away but Stiles looked away for the majority of it. It wasn't that he wanted Allison, more the fact he was envious of the very apparent close bond the two had. It wasn't something he's ever had the joy of partaking in.

Soon, Stiles butt began to go numb as their conversation went on as they shared their life events with one another. Scott talking about the animals he treated while Allison talked about the supernatural's her clan had hunted down. Stiles didn't miss the contrast in their careers or the slight downturn of Scott's shoulders as she talked about her conquests. 

The conversations slowly came to a stall as Stiles, for the fiftieth time, moved his butt to a slightly more comfortable oaky spot as he tried to keep a lookout in the dark forest. Who was he kidding, Scott would be able to smell anyone before he could even hear someone shout boo Stiles thought feeling a moment of uselessness. 

"Allison, I...I need to tell you something." Stiles perked up hearing those words, his internal monologue dissipating. He shifted into more of a crouching position as he listened in. "There's something about me you should know...need to know." 

"Scott I think I know what you want to tell me." From his perch, Stiles could barely make out Allison's face. From what he could see though was that she did in fact know something by her raised eyebrows and slight upturn of her lips.

And for a brief second, Scott's eyes flashed a bright amber in surprise. In those few silent seconds that passed Allison didn't look surprised in the least. She instead began to lean up for a simple kiss but their lips never had a chance to touch.

"Allison, get down now!" A booming voice yelled from the forest. It was filled with rage and fear. 

Stiles hair on the back of his neck shot straight up while a resounding wave of dread hit him. This was one of the absolutely worst events that could happen and it looked like it was indeed happening.

Allison did not drop to the ground like the voice commanded, instead her face immediately grew angry as she whirled around to face whoever had shouted. She didn't have to though, not when a group of eleven hunters slowly entered the grounds with different assortment of weapons at the ready. Their armor completely matched the forest and made it seem as if they appeared from the woods itself like tree nymphs.

Stiles did a quick scan and saw bows, crossbows, one with a net and a few with swords that were undoubtedly silver from the sheen that the moon cast on them. Silver meant they had come prepared which meant they knew they were dealing with a werewolf from the get go.

They had moved so silently, not even Stiles or Scott's enhanced hearing had heard them. 

Stiles heart dropped to his stomach as a cold sweat broke out. Scott looked like a deer in torchlight himself before his eyes flashed again and his furry problem made itself truly known. Hair began to grow on his face and his teeth began to lengthen along with his claws. All in all making him look less and less human which in front of a bunch of Hunters was not good at all. 

Allison, looking ready for a fight, continued to stare down a heavier armed man who was creeping closer. She looked truly terrifying and for a fleeting moment Stiles felt pity for all the supernatural's that had probably seen that look before they had died by one of her arrows.

Stiles knew he had to act fast before they killed his best friend in front of his eyes but he had to do it smart. One wrong move and the firing brigade wouldn't hesitate to cut Scott down. As he shimmied his way down the tree, thanking the heavens no one had seen him or heard him, he only hoped Scott didn't hate him in that moment for being the worst look out in history.

Please don't make the crazy man mad, just give me a chance to pull something off Scott, Stiles pleaded trying to throw his thoughts somehow at his friend.

He crept slowly around the area reaching for the magic stored and set up his trap. Practice with this particular trick had been minimal and had been more of a theory than anything else so crossing of the fingers was engaged throughout the endeavor. The hope was that he could surround the Hunters but Stiles listened hard for any change in the standoff in case he had to deploy his plan earlier. 

"Allison, step away from the werewolf." The same voice that had originally shouted was the one speaking. From the commanding tone Stiles guessed he was the leader. The way his armor was slightly more menacing looking also backed up his claim.

"Dad, no, he hasn't hurt anyone." Allison snapped back, "Our creed is to protect, and you would fail that if you killed him now."

Stiles sneaked a look as he infused his magic into a tree to see Allison was facing the only speaking man, who was apparently her father from the sound of it, but Scott was still exposed on all other sides. He was almost all the way wolfed with the whole pointed ears and thickened hair. That, unfortunately, wasn’t painting the picture of the harmless Scott Allison was trying to currently paint. 

Stiles weaved his magic into the tree he was working on faster, probably draining more than he needed to get the job done so he could book it to the next tree. 

"Honey, he is a killing machine. Just look at him!" The man gestured towards Scott who looked to be suppressing a growl. His eyes were glowing a constant amber now. "He looks rabid. Probably killed someone on the way to see you."

"You don't know him!" She spoke each word clearly and distinctly as if she was talking to someone with a hearing disability. Her voice and face displayed all the anger that was radiating off her. Stiles respect for her grew with every second she defended Scott.

"It's called intuition. Have you ever questioned it before when we killed something because this is the first time I heard any disagreement from you." Stiles was moving to another tree when he saw the man edge closer to the pair. 

Shit, he didn’t have much time before this situation blew up. Oh geeze Stiles, now as the not the time for puns.

"Maybe I should have." Allison lifted her chin up and stared the man down.

"I'm sorry honey, but I can't let you make that mistake." 

After that final sentence was uttered a multitude of fellow actions were started. The man reached forward and grabbed Allison's arm and began to bring her to the ground. Scott let out the pent up roar as his wolf side seemingly took over from the stress. The Hunters looked to be one second to letting the projectiles loose.

And Stiles...well Stiles released hell.

Draining his tattoos dry as well as some of his spark took some energy but the pay off was well worth it. The trees he had attached the traps exploded in a splintery inferno. The Hunters immediately went into a defensive posture as the flaming branches rained down and the wall of heat imploded inwards pushing many of them down from the force. That wasn’t counting the general surprise and disarray it caused.

"Scott, get out of there!" Stiles risked yelling as his friend looked torn between escaping and staying with Allison who was trying to shake the man off her. "Damnit Scott, go!"

Scott finally took off into the woods after a pained whine and sending a look towards Allison of pure longing. The Hunters recovering quickly from the surprise started to go after him causing Stiles loyalty to get the better of him because, you know, friendship.

"He's not the only one you should be worried about." Stiles said entering the opposite side of the clearing slightly with what he hoped was a maniacal grin. What could he say, when he did something he did it all the way apparently.

It worked as at least half of them paused to look at him along with Allison and her father. He imagined he looked like the Devil himself with the fire raging behind him and the shadows slightly encapsulating him.

For a brief second he saw Allison catch his eyes and mouth what the fuck at him but he couldn’t pause now, not even to give her any clue to what he was doing.

Without giving them the chance to retaliate, Stiles did his best to reconnect to the fire waging around the clearing and made it flare up momentarily. The flames roared forward inward upon the men causing their attention to be focused once more on the encroaching heat. 

While that move played out, he dashed backwards into the cover of darkness. He stumbled slightly as a wave of fatigue hit him but his recovery of pushing off against the ground wasn't horrible. The added bonus of hearing the cursing directly caused by him was an added bonus. 

A couple of arrows flew by to embed themselves in nearby trees a second later. He figured the only reason they missed was because of the loss of night vision by the Hunters. The fire made their eyes adjust in the wrong direction for them to see him, hidden by the night as he was. Even so, he tried to make a complicated path through the forest while avoiding the rain of death behind him.

It wasn't long though before he heard shouts directed towards him, telling him to surrender or be shot. His only response was to try and run faster. It was an almost futile act as the amount of energy he used was more than he anticipated.

It wasn't like he had that many chances to practice big magic at home. Small magic or none was the motto and it seemed he was paying the price for that neglect now.

Off in the distance he heard a terrifying howl pierce the night. Internally he was impressed because he didn't think Scott had it in him. Don’t get yourself caught you dumb oaf. No good could come from either of them getting into the hands of the Hunters.

While having magic or a spark was not technically illegal. Everyone knew that if you ever took one step out of line, the punishment was harsh. And what he just pulled off put him in the really screwed up section of penalties. 

That is, unless they didn't just take care of him in the moment and tell everyone he had been a danger to sane society. 

The sound of the people on his butt got closer with each footfall. With a quick look backward, he saw them running up behind him close enough for him to see the thrill of the hunt on their faces. A few were already pulling up their crossbows when he had to turn around in fear of running into a tree.

Thinking fast, he scanned the tree line ahead of him and saw a tree that looked to be on its last legs. He turned his path toward it and when he passed it shoved his hands onto it before running quickly past it. In that split second his hands made contact, his magic flowed through him and attacked every weak connection in a very set space. 

This led to the tree letting out a loud crack and falling downwards, right into the path of the incoming Hunters.

He heard shouts of surprise as the loud thud echoed outwards and one man let out a pained yelp. Regrettably, the rest didn't sound as inconvenienced as he initially hoped. He did get a small surge of satisfaction that he probably got one down for the count. 

Stiles, for one pure moment, thought he had a chance of escaping. That is, until one lucky arrow hit him on the side. 

Time seemed to slowed down as he felt the sharp impact rip through the muscles above his hip to fly past him into the forest. The pain didn't come right away but once it did, it surged forward like a crack of lightning and demanded to be felt. 

Stiles stifled the yell that built up in the back of his throat like bile as he continued to half stumble, half run through the forest. All that came out was a strained groan as his teeth gritted together as if he had suddenly developed lockjaw. His shoulders began bumping into trees undoubtedly causing some brutal bruises as he tried to pick up his speed with his movement becoming more staggered by the second. 

"I think I got him men!" One of them shouted out like a giddy school girl and Stiles could feel their excitement prickle on the back of his neck.

He continued forward accidentally into a small clearing that held a thicket of wildflowers. Absentmindedly he thought that deer must love this place. He had to get out of this open place and fast. His feet went to skid to a stop and take off in a ninety degree angle but before he could get a proper footing to dash off another barrage of arrows flew into the scene. He slipped on the slightly damp grass in an amateurish display to dodge them and before he knew it, he was hitting the ground, hard.

Stiles screwed his eyes shut as another shrill scream tried to force its way out his mouth as the ricocheting pain in his side insisted on haivng some sort of outlet. The fall had made his muscles in his abdomen contract in an excruciating painful way causing the ripped ones to try and perform a job they were no incapable of doing. He clasped a hand to his right side as his legs continued to push at the ground as if they had forgotten the horizontal position they were in. The other hand shot out to grip the grass in a last ditch effort to pull himself forward. 

"Looks like the demon isn't so high and mighty like we initially thought men. Can't be more than seventeen years old by the look of it." A man's voice slithered out into the fray surveying the scene before him. "Surround the area, we don't want any more of its tricks to let it get away." 

The others sounded like they followed his order without question as the steps echoed around him as he lay in roughly the center pf the break in forest breathing heavily. His thoughts raced as he gathered up his spark to his hand that was plastered to his side to staunch the sticky liquid that was leaking out of his body. It occurred to him slowly that was his blood he was feeling. A lot of it.

"Didn't you have a sister that was killed by one of these things Eddie?" It was the first man's voice again clearly enjoying the situation. "Cut off her air supply it did, laughin the entire time you said."

A boot stepped near his head resounding in his ears louder than the fireworks during celebrations. Stiles turned his head up from the dirt and did his best to look intimidating. Well, intimidating as one can look while on the ground bleeding out.

"It sure did and I killed that one nice and slow to." The man's face was obscured in his own hood standing over Stiles like he was leaving only a toothy grin for him to see. The man held an arrow by its feathered end as he used the head to draw Stiles hood up and off while in the process cutting a long strip into the young adults face. "You ever kill anyone, watched them die for your own perverse pleasure? Who am I kidding, all you witches are the same." 

The man sneered as his remark finished and tossed the arrow to the side as if the blood he drew was too contaminated for him to keep holding. 

Stiles’ flaring his nostrils was the only sign of his distress as he kept up his stare into where he thought the man's eyes were. He was rapidly trying to think of a plan but was coming up short by miles. By his estimation, there were five men surrounding him including the one standing above him. He would barely be able to take one in his state let alone that many.

Before Stiles could even prepare himself to try anything, the man had hiked back his booted foot and drove it into his stomach. 

This time there was no way to prevent it. He cried out like a pathetic child as his body tried to curl in on itself to protect it in any way it could. When he finally opened his eyes he saw the man was grinning, just grinning like this was the most fun he had in a long time. 

"Should have kept burning you things like we did before in the good days. How you got protected status I'll never know." The pure unadulterated hatred in the man's voice cut through Stiles as he struggled to get his breath back gasping like a fish out of water. "You and all the other shit out there that isn't normal are all the same."

Stiles stared up at that man and felt like the fox had to at the end of a hunt as the sound of baying hounds got closer and closer. Then at the end of its rope but still snarling and spitting at the dogs that had corralled it in. All the things the man said weren't new to him but it still cut deep. 

He briefly considered trying to light the man on fire but he doubted he could concentrate long enough to bend it to his will. Even if he did, he would likely loose control and end up lighting himself and the whole fire a light. Stiles eyes narrowed as he dimly realized if it came to torture he might not have much of a choice. 

These thoughts were slowly forming when the man looked to be about to kick him again when he stopped suddenly in the action mid movement. 

"Did you men hear that?" The mans voice was as tight as a cinched belt. 

Stiles could feel the other men tense up in tandem as if finally hearing what the man was referencing.

That was when Stiles finally heard it. 

The abusive man's eyes in front of him shot up to become fixed on something in front of him. He took a small step backwards, his hand shooting up to grab at the weapon on his backside. Stiles heard and felt the heavy footfalls that slightly shook the ground he was laying on causing him to freeze and even the small tremors stilled. Seconds passed until the vibrations stopped and Stile felt something standing behind and above him at the same time.

Stiles brain registered the low sound he had been hearing as a deep steady growl that was growing in intensity with each passing second. It seemed to seep into the atmosphere as the tension grew thick. 

The Hunter, as if finally finding his bearings or balls, decided to finally wrench his weapon from his back to bring it in front of him but the thing was on him before he could let loose a single bolt. It had hurdled over Stiles prone form and tackled the man to the ground in a blur of a dark mass. The dark shape tore the man down without any hesitation. The man tried to yell out in pain but a loud crunch turned it quickly to a low gurgling sound.

"It's the Alpha!" 

"Damnit, don't just stand there shoot it!"

"It just killed Eddie!"

Stiles lay there in a state between fight or flight trying to focus enough to connect to his spark to stop the last of the bleeding so if needed to, he could get away during the panic. He did this as the now named beast turned around for a mere moment, the red eyes pierced his own, before it jumped on the next closest hunter. The man went down under the weight of it as he valiantly tried to pull his sword out of its sheath. He didn't get a chance before claws tore his belly out and the large maw found his neck. 

Arrows and bolts alike pierced its flank as it did so and smoke emanated from the wounds as the muscles fluttering was the only acknowledgement of the attack. The beast barely flinched as further attacks came because as soon as the man its teeth were affixed to was no longer moving, it whirled to the next two men who had been standing together.

One or two, it didn't make a difference, as they both met the same fate as their fellow Hunters in a vicious display of violence. 

The last man, after seeing all his companions die stood over Stiles and planted a muddy boot over his neck. Stiles tried to roll away and grabbed at the shoe, trying in vain to shove the man off.

He looked up at the man in that moment as his vision was starting to swim from exhaustion and blood loss he guessed. Also the fact that his airway was starting to be cut off didn't help matters.

The Alpha swung its heavy head around from the two still warm corpses it stood over. The blood dripped from its mouth as red as its eyes as the moonlight glistened of the liquid. With the arrows and bolts sticking out of it, it looked like some demon that escaped from Hell and that was when it clicked.

The man thought he was controlling it somehow. This was confirmed when the man yelled, "Call it off now witch!"

Stiles expected the giant beast to jump on the two of them without hesitation because, despite popular opinion, he was not controlling anything. To his astonishment though, the great beast seemed to almost hesitate from the way it halted mid step, its giant paw suspended in the air. Stiles, not one to squander any opportunity, took one last ditch chance and for a fleeting moment, he felt lucid. 

"Son of a bitch!" The man cursed drawing his foot away as it began to slightly smolder from his boot being set on fire on the inside. All Stiles had done was cause the friction to increase in the inner lining of the boot in a snap instance. 

Stiles heaved in a shaky breath rolling to the side to breathe better. His angle in the flowerbed allowed him to see the Alpha dash forward in a blink of an eye into the man and savagely rip out his throat causing the blood to arc up into the air like some organic fountain. 

The Alphas jaw was clasped tightly around the man's throat as the growl came back in full force. The Hunter was gripping the beasts fur near its face in a death grip as they glared at each other. They stayed locked together until the Hunter let out one last gurgling hitched breath and his hand fell to the ground as dead weight.

Then, there was only silence.

Stiles fought against the oncoming wave of unconsciousness as he watched the beast sniff at the surrounding bodies as if to reassure itself of a job well done. Once that was done, the beast sat down and let out a loud, almost mournful sounding, howl that immediately clicked with the rapidly fading Stiles. It was the one he had heard earlier meaning it had not been Scott like he originally had thought.

There was no response or return howl after the beasts call wavered out of existence. The Alpha then turned its attention towards Stiles and began to pad towards him. 

It was either fatigue or slight blood loss that impaired his judgment to lift a trembling hand upwards in either a display of self defense or surrender. Even Stiles wasn't sure what prompted him to. The beast seemed surprised by his boldness but sniffed the bloody hand lightly before sniffing him closer along the neck. It almost reminded Stiles of being greeted by the dogs that Scott sometimes treated at the vet.

Stiles was fading fast but before he let go he mumbled, "Thanks..."

And then he was gone, his unconscious form at the mercy of either a friend or foe.


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles came back into consciousness slowly and sporadically with bursts of awareness blooming before his eyes every so often in the midst of the darkness. Thoughts trickled back as his aches and pains buzzed in the back of his brain like gnats that wouldn't be brushed aside. They forced him to become coherent faster than he would of liked as his thoughts began to form steady stream of ideas. 

This was not looking to be a great start to his day.

Before opening his eyes, he took stock of the situation as best as he could. His head felt as if it was filled with dirt and the rest of his body didn't want to cooperate with any of the signals he was sending it. He did feel the soothing pressure of his cloak which meant that was still there at least. Grass was underneath him as well so he was still outside and the sun was shining down on him keeping him warm. 

Besides what felt like a horrible hangover, it could be a lot worse. 

That was what he thought until he finally rolled over from his stomach to his back and felt his side let out a sharp twinge. This brought him rushing back to reality with a harsh slap. Yep, this was not his bed. His whole body flinched as he let out what sounded to him like a pathetic whimper. He grasped at side with his left hand and tried to quiet himself in case there was anybody nearby.

That fear was confirmed a moment later when he heard something nearby move just as he had stilled his own bodily shaking. He stilled like a deer caught in the light as his eyes shot open and then back close as he was assaulted with brightness, his pupils constricted not fast enough. From his brief second of sight, Stiles made out he was still in the forest but hadn't caught sight of what was rustling.

The next sound he heard could only be described as a small whuff. Something you would hear from a cautious dog than anything that was likely to kill him. A small spigot of hope welled inside him. Perhaps one of the towns dogs had found him when it wandered away from the hunt. 

When he slowly opened his eyes to peek out to hopefully find the hound, he saw instead what he had seen last night in clear daylight. Standing there in the sunlight was a supernaturally large wolf with the darkest fur imaginable. It looked as if had fallen out of the night sky and became a living being with how little the sunshine touched it and it was staring at him. 

What surprised him the most was the eyes weren't red like he remembered as they peered down at his prone form in what looked like curiosity. They were instead the embodiment of the forest itself. They were green with brushstrokes of gold and brown dancing through them. 

Stiles forgot the notion of being afraid and in its place merely looked up in wonderment as the myth of the Alpha stood above him in all its glory. 

To its credit, the large wolf took the slack jawed staring it earned in stride. After giving Stiles a once over with its eyes, it dropped its nose into the young adults neck and went about just breathing on it for a second before nosing down the rest of his body. 

Stiles didn't even breathe as all the oxygen in his lungs seemed to leave him as the wet nose and hot moist breath roved over him. Fear made his heart race as the images of those teeth so near to him ripped into the Hunters with no preamble remained locked in his head. He didn't know what to do but did know not to make any sudden moves that would alter the tense atmosphere, that is, until it showed interest in his wound.

Stiles cursory examination with his hand showed it was no longer bleeding and was closed somewhat. Even with that though, there was no way he wanted the wolfs saliva or wet nose near it and right now it was on a course to hit it soon as soon as it got done with his armpits. Scott's mom, a nurse, had taught him and her son enough about infections that could be caused by getting cut in the woods. This led to it being drilled quite efficiently in his head to a degree it was almost instinctual.

With this blind fear fueling his actions, before he knew it his hands came up on their own accord to push the wolfs head away. The fur his hands met was warm and coarse but the Alpha didn't even flinch upon contact. Instead it seemed even more intent on examining Stiles pushing further against the resistance it met.

"Get away from that!" Stiles words came out in a rush as the crazy situation continued to be reality instead of the dream he hoped it would be. The things head just got closer until the large tongue came out and licked a large swath on the exposed wound.

The effect was almost instantaneous. 

This time the groan Stiles released was from sheer relief as the pain in his side faded away from the boisterous racket to an almost whisper in the background. The wolfs head once again rose to lord over him until it snorted as if in a job well done. It looked as if it was proud with its mighty head cocked the way it was. With that done, it simply padded away. Stiles turned his creaky neck to watch in confusion as the great wolf laid down in a sunny patch not too far away and let out a huff of breath. 

Stiles looked back at the sky, his face taut with stress. He here was lying in the grass instead of dead having just experienced one of the more bizarre moments of his life. And his life has been filled with bizarre experiences let me tell you. Then it hit him all together again that the wolf that laid not but twenty feet away was the supposed Alpha, the Alpha from legend. It was all he could do to not panic as he collected himself in an attempt to piece all the memory fragments from last night into a clear image. 

Scott, Allison, all the hunters, fire, running, a tree, more running, pain, falling, the wolf, and then blackness. Oh god, he passed out like some sort of damsel in distress didn't he? This just kept getting worse because damnit if he was anything he was going to be the god damn hero.

Pushing off the ground, Stiles arranged himself into a sitting position the best he could. Apprehension of dizziness and nausea gave him the patience in this act not wanting to puke on top of passing out. Okay that was achieved and that was when he noticed he was no longer in the flower laden clearing that he had passed out in the night before.

It was like he was sixteen again after a night of drinking with Scott. That of which inevitably led to them passing out in someone's yard. His Dad then would be contacted about the two delinquents sleeping in a neighbors garden and his Dad would sigh and roll his eyes but would always come drag his ass home. This always freaked him out at the time, thinking he dreamed last night's activities and his Dad knew it. Wouldn't even let on to the fact until he figured it out sometime through breakfast. That dang smirk.

His throat suddenly felt tight.

Nope, couldn't happen, he couldn't think about his Dad right now. Couldn't think about his Dad coming home and him not being there. Not a thought about how the Hunters would go back into town to report about the werewolf they found and the supposed demon the probably thought he had been. 

Stiles just...he couldn't. Not if he wanted to keep acting as if he was a rational adult and not devolve into the snot filled territory. Instead he focused on how the evidence that last night was not a dream was all around him. The wound on his side, the drained tattoos, and not to mention the legend dozing near him. 

And for a brief moment, Stiles did end up giving into the welling panic and fear. Bringing his knees up close to his body and clasping his arms around them, he held himself close for some measure of comfort. His eyes shut tight as he whispered to himself a mantra of this will be okay. 

Scott was out there alone somewhere if not dead. Stiles was seemingly lost in the forest, with no bearings where he was and no stored magic. Only a small dagger he had snuck in his boot being his only option if he had to get defensive as well as his spark, or what was left of it at the moment. Oh and let's not forget the potential Hunters that could still be after him and blaming him for the deaths of their friends.

It was just a bucket of joy all around for all involved.

Stiles didn't know if he should thank the gods or curse them for not having the Alpha kill him. Now he felt trapped in a limbo not know where he stood with the wolf that apparently saved him. It hadn't done him any harm so far, if anything, the opposite with protecting him and helping him somehow with his wound. That didn't stop the wiggle of doubt in his mind because this was the thing that was the stuff of nightmares to some people. While he had always been fascinated with the concept of the wolf from what he heard in the village, seeing it in person dampened some of his curiosity. Especially with what he had witnessed last night. 

Stiles inner monologue was interrupted by the feeling of eyes on him. His gaze shot up to meet the eyes of the wolf. If Stiles had to guess, he would have said it looked concerned with its head tilted the way it was. They held each others gaze until the wolf slowly moved its head back onto its outstretched paws and closed it eyes.

Even though the eyes were no longer on him, Stiles found himself unable to pull his gaze away from the hulking figure that laid demurely on the grass. It was about the size of a horse and not a small one. It still had a few arrows sticking out its flank but not as many as had hit it last night. For the moment they didn't seem to being bothering it by the lazy body language it was casting off. 

Stiles couldn't wrap his head around that the wolf he saw before him was what had shredded the men apart last night with ease. If he had to put into words what he saw before him he would have described the wolf as dog-like. Even a butterfly landed briefly on one of its ears which was sent away with a small twitch. It was like he had landed himself in some kind of fairy tale the elders sometime told at campfires. 

He could almost hear the crotchety voices now, 'And that children is when the young lad found himself on the brink of a new adventure which will end in a moral lesson.'

He groaned inwardly, this was getting him no where. Sitting on his butt all day wasn't going to fix anything. Plus, the silence was getting to him causing him to say before his brain could catch up with him, "Um, hello there, uh, wolfy?." 

Mentally he began to berate himself. Wolfy, could he have picked a worst name to call it. He would have been better calling it Bob or something but there was no time to back pedal. It after all was still an animal even if it was possibly supernatural. It would probably let the name slide. Plus there was still no proof it could even understand him. 

What he got for a response to his tentative greeting was a mere ear flick and a massive eye opening to peer at him. The wolf lazily blinked at him as if in as if that was even beneath him before closing it once more.

Did he just get snubbed by a wolf?

Not one to stand for that, Stiles persevered. "Was it you who brought me here?" Stiles spilled out feeling as if he already knew the answer. 

The wolf didn't respond. Then it clicked, Stiles slowly raised a hand to the back of his cloak to feel the familiar material. His hands moved over the fabric tentatively and stilled once he hit the evidence. He fumbled at the clasp around his neck and pulled it off to bring the back of it around to see it with his own eyes. Slight pinpricks were seen far apart starting near the neck area and halfway as if something had bunched up the fabric in its mouth.

A mental image of his unconscious form being dragged along by the wolf through the forest crossed his mind and with the evidence in front of him he felt he was pretty much spot on. With that puzzle solved his gaze snapped back up. 

"Thanks a lot! This was my favorite one!" He shouted at the snoozing wolf shaking the cloak at him in mock anger. The wolf continue to take no notice of him and his antics but it made Stiles feel on the side of slightly more normal. Humor was a valid self defense mechanism. 

Fingering the well worn material in a slight seeking of comfort, he tried to make a rough plan in his head. A shitty plan was better than no plan at all in his opinion.

But before he did that he really needed to pee. Standing was a bit more difficult than he would have hoped but he managed after a few tries. After a quick half stumble, half jog he made it to a bush and was able to relieve himself by bracing against a tree. 

After that was done, he felt infinitely better and walked slowly to a tree lacking his urine to lean against it as he sat down. His brain felt clearer and the thoughts flowed as easily as his urine just had. Okay then, his number one priority had to be to find out what happened with Scott.

If alive, he had to find him and then they could figure out the rest together. If he was...well he didn't want to think about that other option just right now. Not when he felt like the ground was about to swallow him whole at any second. Got to keep positive an all that jazz.

Right, he had to focus. In order to find Scott he had to get out of these woods and find a nearby town. There he could ask around, see if the locals had heard anything, and pick up any leads that could help him. He also wanted to try and send something to his Dad if he could. 

To let him know he was alive at least.

The back of his head knocked back into the tree as he let out a large sigh trying to release the tension from his body. For a second he was envious of the birds that were tweeting away oblivious in the branches. They could fly away at any moment while he was grounded down on the lowly earth.

He shook himself out of the returning dreariness and put on a good front. First things first, he had to stand up again. After that he had to find a water source, his mouth was parched and if he knew anything it was that dehydration in the middle of the forest was not a good thing.

Hauling himself up a second time wasn't as bad and he had the tree to help him. He glanced back at the dozing form of the Alpha and figured it would be best to sneak away now. The reason that it helped him was still unknown and not knowing the motivations it had for doing so didn't sit right enough for him to risk anything.

He shot it a silent wave and started to walk away into the woods. As he did so he used a well practiced spell that he had often utilized to get Scott and himself reoriented when they played in the woods and no longer recognized any landmarks. Pulling his dagger out, he laid it in the palm of his hand and polarized it slightly. It swung briefly before showing him what way was north.

Now at least he knew his cardinal directions. Not much, but it could make all the difference in the end. Stories of people just walking off into the forest never to be seen again were too common.

Now with a direction, went north knowing most rivers in the area ran east. He hoped he would hit one sooner rather than later. He crept forward watching the wolf not move an inch as he walked. Holding his breath, he slipped among the trees and didn't look back.

It wasn't long after he began walking that he heard something tailing behind him. Stiles didn't have to look behind him to know what it was. Even so, he was marginally impressed by how quietly the large beast was padding behind him weaving among the forest.

"I didn't really invite you along you know." No answer but Stiles did shoot it a look back. His heart beat slowed when the wolf remained its innocent self. No sign that it was stalking its prey that got away.

The wolf in reply just shook itself out and moved forward so it was off to the side rather than behind. 

"But if you want to be oh so useful you could show me were some water is, a river per chance, a small lake..." His voice drifted off feeling once again how dry his throat was and you know the fact he was trying to talk to a wolf. Could this day get any weirder? Apparently it could.

As Stiles internally debated how idiotic he must look to an outsider, the wolf came to a stop. Stiles, finally noticing the lack of fellow steps, came to a stop as well. The wolf was staring at him again. It looked as if it was actually trying to process the words thrown its way with the way it's head was tilted and its ears were pricked forward.

Not believing what he was going to do next, Stiles slowly said, "Water, you know, for drinking." 

He then did his best at pantomiming the act of drinking though he would be the first to admit his skills were substandard. Charades had never been his real forte. Even so, the wolf watched him with what looked to be annoyance mixed with attention before it blinked and suddenly took off in a purposefully manner.

Stiles just stood there for a second watching it go debating whether it understood or just had given up on the strange kid that wandered into its forest. Only when it looked back at him and did the low whuff again did he just shake his head and take after it with a steady pace. What was there to lose with following after the magic wolf in the woods. Man did that sound like was on drugs. 

"Well, at least I can say this isn't the craziest thing that has happened to me this week." Stiles remarked to himself. In return, the wolf kept up a steady pace but not too fast. Occasionally it would stop and look behind to stare at Stiles as if to reassure itself he was still there before resuming its pace once more.

About a half mile in, by Stiles estimation, he heard what sounded like a stream. His parched throat hit hard at the sound and he picked up his pace at the thought of drinking something soon. It wasn't long before he found himself in front of what was in fact a small stream weaving its way through the trees.

Before he knew it, Stiles found himself kneeling in front of the water and sucking in as much as he could. There were few things in the world that felt better than what Stiles felt as the he drank that water but at that moment he couldn't have listed anything. It wasn't until he felt physically unable to drink anymore, that he fell back on his butt in satisfaction.

"What, I was really thirsty." Stiles snapped at the wolf that was currently staring at him with piqued interest. 

In response, the wolf just shook its shoulders out before leaning down to lap up its own share of water. As the black wolf stood there drinking, Stiles sat there as a flood of information calculated in his head.

When the wolf had finished drinking, it glanced back at Stiles flicking its ears his way. Stiles looked back at the wolf in a new light as an idea slowly formed inside him. 

"So...do you know where the closest town is?"


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, so maybe Stiles should have stopped for a break at some point during this impromptu trek through woods. Even the wolf was beginning to shoot him glances. Drinking the water had helped a ton on making him feel human again but fatigue that lingered from last night was still present. Not getting a good nights sleep would do that to you. 

It didn't matter though. He had gotten into this mess and that meant he had to drag himself out of it. First things first he had to find Scott. After that they could both together figure out what needed to be done next. Well, mostly him but Scott had some good ideas everyone once in a while. Last night was in the not good category but they were there. 

At the stream he had listed various names for town and after he had said village the wolf's ears had pricked up. It had stood straighter as well and then was off plodding steadily into the woods. Stiles found himself staring for just a second before he gathered himself together and took off after it. He was having to dig deep to keep going at the rushed pace but he was finding anger and fear to be a nice backup fuel. 

And that's where he was now. Walking through the woods following a very furry butt. Not where he thought he would ever be but he could roll with it if it meant getting to where he needed to be. His mind had started to drift into what he would do when they actually arrived at the village that when the wolf came to a stop he didn't notice right away. One minute the big furry thing was right there and then the next it wasn't.

Stiles skidded to a stop and swiveled around to see what had caused his companion to stall. Did he need to remind the wolf that stopping was not an option? The wolf, once again, was staring at him but this time its body language was completely different from the calmness it had emanated from before. The wolf looked to be almost fidgeting with its fur bristling on its neck like some kind of makeshift mo-hawk.

Stiles was about to shout something out at the wolf being lazy when he heard the tell tale sounds of civilization. Whipping his head back around, he squinted forward through the trees and was rewarded with seeing darts of movement a long ways off signifying life. If things kept going his way like this maybe he would find Scott sooner than he thought. 

"Yes, fuck yeah." Stiles pumped his arm up with his hand in a fist effectively punching the air. He quickly walked back to the wolf and stopped a few feet in front of the stationary legend. "Thank you, thank you so much. You really saved my hide back there with the stream and now this. God I wish I had some sausage or an offering-anything really." The words stumbled out but he hoped his gratitude filled each word because how could he really thank it.

He knew there was no way he would have lived if this wolf hadn't come to his aid when it did. He probably would have been killed last night the way that one guy was going at him with his boot. The realization that once he left the forest the chances of him ever seeing this legend again had to be zill to none. A twisting in his gut announced itself at that thought but he pushed it off as being a hunger pang. 

The hazel eyes of the wolf bored into him like it wanted to say something back but lacked the ability to do so. Stiles felt the twisting in his gut intensify at the imploring look. Man did the wolf really knew how to pull at the heartstrings.

"I gotta go into that town to find my friend. I know you probably don't understand everything I'm saying and will go about your business or hell, just disappear." Stiles rambled on as the unpleasant feeling continued to settle somewhere in his stomach. "Anyways, I really do appreciate it. Who knows, maybe I'll find you again one day." He laughed awkwardly rubbing the back the back of his neck, "Hopefully under better circumstances."

Not wanting to draw it out any longer, Stiles took a couple of steps back. His hand came up in a small wave. Before he turned around he watched the wolf look almost forlorn as it began to fidget again and flatten its ears.

If this is how Scott felt leaving the dogs every day at their hut, Stiles didn't know how he did it. 

Stiles hunched his shoulders forward and turned around steeling himself from the emotions that were roiling inside him. Maybe he could have tried to explain the situation further or asked the wolf to wait for him but now it felt too late. Like going back now would do more damage than good and give the wolf false hope. 

How did getting chased by Hunters and lost in the woods get this complicated?

Risking one last look back he saw the wolf was now pacing back and forth. If he had the time he would have thought about it further but his head was preoccupied with the current task on hand. For now, his curiosity would have to wait, perhaps forever. 

Stiles dropped his head back forward and pulled his hood up. Word could have traveled fast and while he was banking on that to find Scott, he didn't know if people were looking for him. Plus not standing out could be very much a good thing in the long run.

Soon, he was stepping out onto a road with people and carts passing by. Surprisingly, he only caught a few glances as most people were absorbed in the hustle and bustle of getting their job done and going home to catch dinner than the random straggler that had just emerged. It was odd not being looked at and Stiles found he rather enjoyed it. No looks were better than the ones he used to get.

Any who, with the threat of sunset on the horizon, literally, this meant that he only had a limited amount of time accomplish his objectives today. The sun setting meant people getting their butts inside their houses and traders packing up for the day. No people out and about would severely deter and information gathering. It wasn't like he could talk to the local fauna though Stiles did admit to himself that would probably be pretty neat.

Stiles headed down the road keeping his speed to a slow walk as to not draw any more attention to himself. A mosey if you will. This also allowed him to match pace with anybody that drew his own interest. His logic being that since this might be the closest town to what had happened last night, they must have heard news by now about what happened. Human gossip could be a very powerful force and Hunters were known to brag, a lot.

Even with the Hunters passing as little as they did through Beacon Hills the number of times he had heard one of their hunting stories had been one too many. The fairy ones, he had to admit, were pretty humorous if only because it usually ended with the Hunter in a crazy situation.

At least he hoped that people were gossiping, he really didn't want the Hunters this one time to keep it to themselves and not warn anyone. Thinking pessimistically wouldn't help him get anywhere. Holding his head high, he employed his strategy of slowing and speeding up to walk beside people and listening on whatever conversation they were holding. The amount of people talking about the price of potatoes and who was cheating on who was staggering.

Is this all that people talked about in this town? And he thought Beacon Hills could be boring. The thought of giving up on this crowd was fast approaching when he finally heard unique topic hit upon.

"I heard that they have no idea where the other one from last night is." 

Stiles head perked up momentarily from the key words "last night". Thank god it wasn't about potatoes. Not wanting to lose whoever was speaking, he honed in on it. Soon the sight of a hay cart filled his vision as the sounds got louder. With a glance to the side it revealed the speakers to be one very tall man sitting with a more averagely built man.

"All I know is that last night I woke to my wife screaming at me that the Hunters were nearby and I needed to grab a weapon to defend her." The larger man sighed before finishing, "I just wanted to sleep."

"Do you even know what they were hunting last night because I do." The smaller of the two men divulged. "I got a cousin that is friends with someone in the Hunters and he told me that there was-"

"Yeah, yeah I heard about the werewolf but what's the big new in that. It seems like we hear about one every month and nothing ever comes of it. They never even come into town." The larger man interrupted sounding slightly exasperated with the whole ordeal. Stiles felt some kinship with man as his weariness butted his head in for a second before he shook it off to continue listening.

"No, Charles, you only got half the story." The man sounded smug, "There was something else out there with the Omega they were tracking."

"Oh come off it, really, what was it?" This time the man sounded more intrigued but Stiles was one second away from trying to find a different conversation to eavesdrop in. The thought of hearing about himself second had was not appealing. They had better switch back to Scott soon.

"That's the thing, they don't know what it was. One second they are about to kill the werewolf and the next thing they know the woods are on fire but that's not the most interesting bit." The man must not get the edge in the conversation often the way he held this bit of information over the other ones head. The gleeful tone was all too evident.

"Well get to that part will ya, we're almost in town."

"They sent like five men after what looked like just a kid," Stiles rolled his eyes at that, he was an adult damnit, "And when they found them, all dead. These weren't new recruits either. He said they were a part of the Argents faction."

"Shit man, guess my wife had a right to be worried." Stiles gave up on this conversation and was about to hurry past to get into town faster when the man added, "But what about the Omega, did they at least kill it? Gotta have some good news to tell the wife."

Stiles had a make concrete effort not to stumble in his rush to keep his pace the same as he waited for the reply. Hope blossomed in his chest painfully and he scrambled to dismantle it. Please keep talking was all that he could think.

"Nah, apparently last night was an all around failure. My cousin said they lost it in the woods when they didn't hear back from the other group. They are going to track it down though, said it was heading towards Dunsmuir." The man paused before finally saying, "What I don't get is what all the fuss is about one omega. Sounds like they are pulling a lot of resources to find it. Not to mention another twist-"

Stiles now desperately wanted to hear the rest of this conversation but the influx of crowds milling about as they entered the town caused him to detach from his trailing. He wavered in the street watching the cart drive away before he slowly made his way off to the side of the road. 

There, he finally recognized that he was in the town of Arcata. It was a smaller town, similar to Beacon Hills in many ways though they often had more encounters with supernatural's if what he heard was to be believed. If his estimation was right it was around thirty miles from Beacon Hills. Though he had never been, Deaton had done his best to teach him about neighboring towns in case they were ever needed to assist. Yeah, like that was ever going to happen now.

Just thinking about how far away he was from home astounded him. In one night the wolf must have managed to drag him quite a ways and look at that, not a single rug burn. 

Getting back on topic, Scott was supposedly near Dunsmuir which from here was about a day's walk on the main road. Even as relief washed through him knowing that there was a good chance his friend was still alive, the hazards of finding him were still all too real. Not to mention he probably had no chance of traveling on the main road. He was already risking a lot being out like he was.

But before he could leave town he needed to do something else. If he had any kind of hope surviving from this day forward he needed more than just the cloak on his back and a simple knife. Unfortunately he doesn't have anything in the way of cash which leads his mind to one option.

Usually he might have considered enchanting objects as a trade but magic users were usually distrusted outside their own towns. He had hardly been trusted in his own town. This meant only one last unpleasant option.

Stiles needed to steal.

His head fell into his hand because for him, this was going to majorly suck. He knew he had the ability to do it but coming from a similar small town, he knew how every little supply was often needed. It didn't help that winter was almost upon them when supplies were needed the most. 

"Well isn't this just going to help with your growing reputation" Stiles muttered to himself feeling pathetic. He pulled his hand back down to his side and set his shoulders back reminding himself what this was for. 

It was easy enough to melt back into the crowd. He was only one person in a crowd of faces. Even though most towns knew anyone and everyone, in these parts traders weren't uncommon during this season.

He took his time and focused on nicking a small bag, a map, some long lasting food, and a container to hold water. It took a little over an hour and while he did this, to soothe his conscience, he did what little he could in return. 

Over the course of the day his spark had begun to recharge. Even though he was hesitant to use it, Stiles couldn't help but stick small enchantments on the booths and carts he took from. They were simple things that Deaton had had him using to help the town and traders in Beacon Hills. They were small, hardly noticeable things such as increased durability, less water damage and so on. 

These acts took a bit of his spark but it was worth it knowing what he was taking from them. He internally chuckled at his attempt of equivalent exchange in the real world. 

When he had the few items he had focused on gathering were safely tucked within his cloak and out of sight, he saw he had finished at the right time. The few booths out on the street were packing up their wares for the night and the streets were nearly empty. That didn't make him feel exposed at all now with the lack of people. 

Stiles was debating between trying to hide in town for the night or risk going back into the woods when something moved in his peripheral. The side of the road became his best friend as he slowly allowed his head to turn slightly to the left to try and see what it was. He had to stop himself from jerking it back forward when the familiar sight of black horses and black armor entered his vision.

He could literally feel the color slipping from his face as the cold clammy feeling of fear gripped his chest. They were riding up behind him and were going to spot him at any second. Was this karma slapping him for stealing? For a moment Stiles felt himself get wedged between the horrifying crux between flight and fight.

Doing the best he could in an attempt to remain unseen, he walked at a casual pace and kept his head low. The thought that predators focused on movement to see their prey was at the forefront of his mind. He had a vague plan of wandering off the road and ducking away but he never really expected his luck to hold out that long. This was confirmed when shit hit the proverbial fan.

"Stop right there!" A commanding woman's voice shouted out from behind him.

Stiles didn't wait for her to shout again.

He dashed forward with his cloak billow out behind him by the sudden influx of air. Darting past the few people on the road as best as he could while behind him the sound of hoof beats started up. Knowing he had to get off the road, he veered right down an alley between two adjacent stores and hopped the small fence connecting them.

The hoof beats momentarily clattered to a stop as the sound of disgruntled horses hit the air. Stiles didn't let himself celebrate as he kept up the quick pace trying to keep a complicated path through the throngs of houses. His hopes of losing them weren't too high but he knew he had to keep the line of sight broken.

A line of sight meant the chance of arrows coming into play were much higher. Becoming a pin cushion for arrows was not a priority at this moment and time if ever. His distaste for the weapons was growing with leaps and bounds every moment his heart beat in his ears and his panicked breathing hit the air.

A shout came from the left and Stiles had to roll forward to avoid being run over by a sudden charging mare. He scrambled at the ground and did his best to put a wall of some sort between him and his current tracker. It was only a second after he managed to get past a solid wood fence when the sound of an arrow burrowing itself in the lumber met his ears.

He didn't pause for a second, he was in full on flight mode now. Hopefully he could find some way of losing them and soon because his breath was coming harder and harder. 

A nimble charger was weaving its way up behind him and wasn't discouraged at all by his winding path. Thinking fast as the sound of hoofbeats ringing in his ears got louder, he flung a hand out. He was rewarded a second later by the sound of an upcoming windows glass shattering. Without hesitation, he dove through the broken window and rolled into the house.

He hit the ground hard but he was up the next second ignoring the sounds of surprise by the occupants that had been previously eating dinner.

"What the-"

"Sorry!" He shouted as he ran through the back door and saw his escape route. 

Across a yard filled with vegetables in all its glory was the great span of trees marking the beginning of the forest. His feet hits the dirt fast and hard as he sprinted as swiftly as he could towards the mass of trees. The span of land with no cover was his biggest hurdle.

"There it is! Get your asses over here men!" The familiar woman's voice shouted behind him but Stiles didn't care because a second later he at least had the barrier of the forest between them. A sense of déjà vu hit him when arrows and bolts once again were hitting trees exploding bark around him. Luck was on his side just this once though as the only thing to get hit was the edges of his cloak as a few close arrows whizzed by.

The smell of trees never felt better and Stiles was sucking it in hard as he began to reach the end of his road. 

His breathing was rapid, and his vision was starting to blur as he pushed himself past his endurance level. One didn't need to be a genius to feel how much your body was struggling to cope with the demands being asked of it. He didn't have much left in him as his eyes fretfully scanned the passing trees for any kind of hiding place. 

The lead he had on the Hunting party wasn't going to last long even with the horses unable to gallop at their full speed within the forest, not without risking a broken leg.

With the sound of hunt behind him, Stiles couldn't help but feel his time was almost up. 

That was, until he saw his one and only savior, the Alpha. 

"Wolfy!" Stiles gasped out in sheer relief as the wolf quickly trotted up to him seemingly melting out of the woods. His adrenaline was spiked so high he didn't even notice himself calling the Alpha by the silly nickname he had bestowed on it earlier. 

The wolf emanated pure concern as a nose was shoved forward upon Stiles whose legs were shaking. 

"Hey, hey we need to get out of here." Stiles pulled the wolfs head away and stared into i's eyes as he said this needing the wolf to understand this. No time for repeats at this time.

The Hunt was getting closer and Stiles knew that even while Wolfy was one bad ass in a fight, there was no way it could take on that many Hunters. Thinking fast, he walked to the wolfs side and pulled on the side fur.

"I need you to lean down a bit okay, can you do that? I promise it will be just this one time." Stiles tried to sound calmer than he felt but the light from the multitude of torches were closing in on their location and his panicked heart rate wasn't slowing any time soon. 

The wolf started to growl intensely as its head turned scanning the Hunters coming their way. To its credit though, it did slightly lean down on his forelegs giving Stiles the opportunity to do something incredibly stupid.

Gripping the wolfs fur tightly, Stiles barely managed to pull himself up and hike a leg over leaving him effectively half crouching, half sitting on the wolfs back. The wolf actually didn't seem to mind as it slowly raised itself back up taking care not to jostle the load on its back too much. 

Stiles guessed they had about twenty seconds left before the Hunters showed their faces.

Stiles leaned up and got as close to the wolfs ears as he could, "We gotta go! We can go anywhere but here!" He tugged on the wolfs fur in tandem with his pleading, "Please!" He urged feeling his voice crack under the pressure as his heart began to feel like it was going to beat out of his chest.

The wolf seemed to hesitate but after a moment it was off.

Stiles almost fell off from the whiplash when it did a complete one eighty to evade the incoming Hunters. Only his death grip grip had kept him from jerking off and landing back on the ground, though, it was a close thing. His only strategy now was to keep low to the wolfs back and his knees as tight on its sides as much as he could. 

The fact that he was riding this supposed legend did indeed cross his mind as being one of the greatest achievements in his life but the adrenaline from the risk of death kept the thrill from being too much. It didn't help that it felt like he was riding an actual earthquake. 

Stiles finally managed to squint open his eyes to see that the wolf was sprinting at an incredible speed. So fast that the trees around them seemed to blur as they passed by. The lithe paws displaying a mastery of dexterity as the wolf darted through the trees with a practiced ease. 

Even with the wind howling in his ears, Stiles could still hear the sounds of the Hunters and their horses get quieter with each passing second. Stiles hazarded a look back and found that the incoming torches were no more.

He turned back forward and let his face fall into the wolfs fur. With that danger at least fading away, he let himself take a moment to realize he was still alive.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late into the night when the Alpha finally came to a stop. Looking ready to bolt at the slightest provocation, it took a moment to scent the air. Red eyes were shining like twin fires as it tried to sense if any danger was in the vicinity. After a brief moment of stillness where even the wind refused to blow, the wolf finally folded its legs underneath itself and carefully laid down. 

Even with the display that it sensed no immediate threat, the wolfs eyes remained ablaze.

Stiles was a tense ball on its back, having not moved an inch during the hours that had passed. All throughout the escape he had been stuck in a trance where he was neither truly awake or asleep. He knew that some time had passed but for him it had felt like one of the longest nights he had ever experienced and it wasn't even over yet.

It wasn't until the wolf laid down did he finally allow himself to begin the process of relaxing all of his tense muscles. At least he tried to. The cold and hours of nonuse had caused his limbs to lock up and cramp. Every time he moved in the slightest his joints ached in protest.

"I feel like a corpse." Stiles managed to croak out while he struggled to move. 

Even as he did so, passively, he tried to keep as close as he could to the wolfs body heat. It was almost delicious in the frigid night and did an excellent job of keeping him from becoming a popsicle. Eventually he found himself giving up. The exhaustion and sleep deprivation won out and his body remained curled in on the wolfs back in a clear sign of defeat.

"A very dead corpse." He rasped out, his words barely audible as he spoke them with his face smushed into the wolfs neck.

The wolf was practically a furnace and in the cold night air he couldn't be warmer unless he was sitting next to a fire. With Hunters still possibly combing the forest trying to find him there was no way making any kind of heat source was even in the realm of possibilities. He figured laying there for a few more minutes wouldn't hurt anything. 

Besides, it wasn't like the wolf was shaking him off. If anything the wolf was being extremely accommodating the way it felt like it was almost balancing him on its back. It was also comforting in a way to essentially cuddle with the wolf though he would never admit that even subconsciously.

"You are a good friend." Stiles heard himself mumble out, "I'mmmhh really lucky to have you find me when you did. I've never really had anyone look out for me like that." He rubbed his face in the wolfs fur as he spoke. In his sleep deprived state he found it very important that the wolf understand that. He didn't get much in the way of an answer and the memory of himself saying that was already slipping away like a dream.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed when he began to feel himself start the slow progression of slipping off the furry back. By the time he truly was able to comprehend what was happening, it was too late to stop his momentum. This ended with him sluggishly rolling onto the grass like a child's ragdoll. 

When he finally coasted to a complete stop on the wet grass, his eyes groggily peered open and registered what had felt like five minutes had instead been the entire night. 

The sun was barely lighting up the forest which signaled it was either the sunrise or sunset. Banking on the fact that he probably didn't sleep through the entire day, Stiles figured it was most likely the former. His brain took way too long to figure that out as he stretched his limbs out before retracting them with a yawn.

With that out of the way, from his position on the ground he turned his head towards the wolf to see what had caused him to fall off its back. It didn't reveal much but he ended up just guessing that the wolf had probably just moved in its sleep just enough for him to lose the battle with gravity.

Stiles lay there feeling strangely content as a wave of affection rippled through his heart. The corners of his mouth quirked up involuntarily as he watched the steady rise and fall of its breathing. For some reason, what should be a wild animal had saved him not once but now twice.

At this point he wasn't a hundred percent sure that the wolf truly was the Alpha from legend. It had all the characteristics sure, being the size of a large horse, burning red eyes, dark black fur and hatred for Hunters but he never would have guessed for the Alpha to be this friendly. To him of all people to and it wasn't like he had an affinity for animals before this. That was all Scotts territory.

All he knew for certain was that this might be his only ally for a while and he was strangely alright with that. It was much better than being alone. 

"We are both crazy sons of bitches Wolfy, you okay with me calling you Wolfy right, because the name kinda stuck for me and I don't think I can change it now." Stiles rambled to the wolf as it cracked an eye his way before letting loose a tongue curling yawn. The wolf didn't offer any complaints with the name suggestion as it smacked its jaw at him. "It sorta fits you but I'll be the first to admit it's kind of silly. It kind of spilled out last night and I think I'm growing attached to it. Besides it's not like I know your real name if you guys have those."

Stiles grinned lazily at Wolfy and in a daring move, reached a hand up to pet the wolfs flank. In all honesty, he really just wanted that connection back. Touching the wolfs fur last night had made him feel better, something about another living creatures contact he guessed. Petting the wolf now brought back that feeling and the fur didn't feel particularly harsh or coarse.

The wolf huffed at him but allowed he continued his ministrations. If he didn't know any better he would have said that the wolf looked to be hiding a smile. That is if wolves could smile. Dogs sort of could when they did the whole panting thing but he would bet that this wolf would never be caught dead doing something like that.

Stiles felt his heartbeat settle as he kept up his rhythmic patting, "I'm really happy I found you again, or honestly, that you found me. Even if I hadn't been being chased I would have been happy to see you I mean." Stiles did his best trying to convey what he meant. It was hard when his own emotions felt fried and the wolf was difficult to read at best.

Wolfy let out a small whuff at that which made Stiles raise an eyebrow.

"I wonder how much you really understand me? For all I know you understand everything and just enjoy keeping me in the dark. If that's the case that's just cruel." 

The wolf made no attempt at an answer back but when Stiles stilled his hand the wolf opened its eyes and stared at him until he resumed the movement.

"At least I know you like petting." Stiles teased squinting his eyes at Wolfy and grinning. "My hands, you could say, are like magic when I want them to be." Stiles couldn't help but giggle stupidly at his own joke.

The duo sat there in silence for a moment as Stiles assessed his spark internally. He could feel it pulsing with more magic than it should have had in that space of time to recharge. After only one night it shouldn't be brimming at the top like it currently was. 

This was definitely odd to say the least.

His thoughts were interrupted when the wolf began to rise and Stiles hand slipped off. Pulling his hand back revealed a nice layer of dirt that now coated his palm in a thick film. He rubbed it off on his pants until a hairy face was pushed on him. 

The wolfs wet nose came up and sniffed his neck, his armpits and attempted to get at his groin. Stiles had allowed the other body parts to be invaded but drew the line at the last destination. He evaded the heat seeking nose by rolling over. This just earned his butt to be the next best place to sniff but Stiles scrambled forward to a standing position.

"Hey, that is a no fly zone buddy. Only special people have a reserved spot waiting for them there." Stiles hands came up to intercept any more attempts. What he got instead surprised him. The wolf padded up to him and head butted his hand with its forehead. 

Stiles then heard a small movement of air, just once but he knew what had caused it. The wolf had wagged its tail. It was a simple gesture but it amazed him like the sun was shining a different color. It was not everyday something this majestic showed interest in someone like him.

His features softened as the hand on the wolfs head glided up to scratch behind its ear. The other one rubbed under the wolfs jaw where some of the softer fur lay. It was a very surreal situation but Stiles didn't usually squander any opportunities that life presented him.

"Well aren't you just a big softy." 

Wolfy let out a growl and lowered its ears back but Stiles didn't flinch backwards. This growl was nowhere near close to the kinds the wolf used with the Hunters. He interpreted it more as a playful one though if his hand got bit off in the next five minutes he would admit he was wrong. 

Even so, a few seconds later the wolf soon drew its head away and looked down at Stiles expectantly.

Stiles actually felt like he understood what the wolf wanted him to do next. It was as if he was finally picking up some subtle cues that the wolf was using to communicate. Stiles nodded his head and cracked his knuckles, "Right, on to what's next."

He fumbled around and caught the small bag he had stolen yesterday under his cloak. The wolf watched him with curiosity as he opened and pulled out the map stowed inside. He spread it over the grass and went to work trying to interpret it after he figured out which way was north.

While he was happy to have gotten away from the Hunters last night with his life still intact, the escape through the forest had left him once again disoriented. His eyes wandered the canvas drawn forests, rivers, lakes, and town trying to get a read on it. He looked at it from sitting, from the side and standing but nothing was snapping into place like he had hoped.

A map reader he was not apparently.

"I'm truly truly thankful for what you did last night Wolfy but you kinda screwed up my plan here." Stiles informed the wolf trying to look mock disapproving. The wolf merely gave him a deadpan look that said everything. "You probably are right, I'd rather be lost than dead." Stiles admitted shrugging his shoulders as if to say c'est la vie.

He walked around the map that was still lying on the ground. There was a way but it could end up being tricky. It was something that him and Deaton had talked about and he had seen it done once but never had the chance to attempt to do it himself let alone out in the woods with only a giant wolf for supervision. 

He glanced back at the wolf, "I have an idea but you can't freak out." 

Wolfy perked up at that but remained laying down next to a tree off to the side. It had moved there after it got bored of watching Stiles try and read the map. 

"I'm going to use magic to find out where we are on this map." Stiles said slowly in case the wolf showed any signs of disagreement. 

The wolf seemed to make a face that said 'are you kidding me, that was the big announcement?' 

Now Stiles just felt silly after that anticlimactic reveal. 

After that declaration was set and done, he just had to do the actual act. He blew out a puff of air as he nervously paced around the map shaking out his arms. He looked a bit odd sure but he was attempting to pump himself up.

"Okay Stiles, you can do this." He paced around the map again formulating what he was going to try and do. "I-I need a leaf." He proclaimed as he scanned the ground. The leaf he chose was a smaller one and with it, he placed it in the center of the map.

The leaf was going to his focal point. Staring down at the leaf as he sat down, Stiles reached for his spark. Over the night it had rekindled to full strength. Even without his back up energy, he had a pretty good feeling he could do this. Pretty good, not great but well in this situation pretty good was going to have to work. 

He could work with pretty good.

Steadying his breathing and raising his hands over the map, he went to work. He brought his spark forward and focused it on what he wanted it to do. The technique used was a cross between the one used for finding which way was north and his own creative thinking. Deaton's own advice on how to use it didn't go unheeded as well.

The energy from his spark coasted out from him to the map and slowly the leaf began to tremble. Stiles watched while sporting a grin feeling invigorated as the leaf slowly moved to where the magic and the earth was guiding it. The leaf finally settled on a spot and overall didn't look as impressive as it had felt.

Stiles didn't care. He let out a loud yes as he moved around the map to get a better idea of where he was now that he had a designated spot. The amount of spark he used wasn't even that much which gave him further causation for celebration. After his eyes were done scanning he knew where he and Wolfy were.

They were southwest of Dunsmuir by not that large distance. He was no cartographer but he didn't feel totally wrong in his estimation of a day's walk to reach the town. Maybe he could get Wolfy to let him use it for transportation...on the other hand he didn't know if he really wanted to risk it. His relationship with the wolf was friendly but there was nothing solidifying it at the moment except the wolfs habit of saving him. 

Maybe that was something he could work on today if the wolf continued to travel with him. Couldn't hurt in the long run especially since he could already feel himself getting attached. What could he say, rescuing him from death twice and warming him up gave the wolf major points. Also putting up with him was a special quality all on its own to be honest. Before Scott and Deaton there really hadn't been anyone except his Dad and well that didn't really count.

The leaf was brushed off the map as he carefully folded up said map and put it once more back in his bag. He looked up to see the wolf once again dozing in the sunlit patch. Not fazed at all by the display of magic in the vicinity. Stiles usual reaction, if they knew he was doing something, was suspicion and worry even when they knew he was fixing something for them.

It was a refreshing change and something he could get used to.

Stiles meandered slowly over to the wolf with his hands behind his back. "Alright Wolfy, I know where we are and where I'm going next."

The wolf opened its eyes at him and pointed its ears forward as if to say, 'well go on with it why don't you, I have busy activities of lying here clearly.'

"I was hoping that you would continue to accompany me because to be perfectly honest I like having you around. Your company isn't horrible and plus my company isn't too shabby either." He grinned at the wolf and tried to show how great of an asset he was by putting his hands on his hips and posing. 

The wolfs response was to sneeze.

Stiles made overly dramatic aghast sound, "I take offense to that, many supernatural beings would love to have me at their side." He gestured around the area, "Look at all of them waiting in line, you better jump on the chance now." His tone was light but he was a tad worried the wolf wouldn't come with him. Between here and Dunsmuir, there were pockets of known supernatural activity that he didn't feel confident handling on his own.

He swore he saw the wolf roll its eyes before it went to stand up and shake out its fur. Once that was done it just stood there staring at the young adult. Stiles, taking that as a good sign, raised a tentative hand hoping the wolf would take the next step.

The wolf didn't hesitate in the slightest and padded up to put his head near Stiles outreached hand. Stiles finished the movement and rubbed the wolfs fur near its ear as he finally let loose a full on smile that hurt his cheeks. Hey, he was happy. This forest could get pretty spooky and cold at night especially since he just realized they were heading into known vampire territory

Wasn't that just a bundle of sticks.

Stiles pulled his hands away from Wolfys warm fur and pointed northwest into the dense forest. "We have to head that way to Dunsmuir. That's where my friend was heading and we have to find him before he gets himself into any more trouble."

He started backing up into the forest in the right direction waiting to see what his companion would do. Slowly, a step was taken towards him as the wolf began to follow his lead. Stiles shot it another full frontal grin before turning forward and continued to explain his current situation to try and bring the wolf up to speed. 

It was the least he could do at this point.

"You remember those guys from last night and the night before that?" Wolfy let out a low growl that made Stiles turn around to look at him but kept up his pace. The wolfs eyes were glowing a dim red as it looked to be trying to stifle the growl that was being emitted from between its clenched fangs. It was a weird sight to see the red eyes during the day and it made Stiles stomach twist.

Luckily, it was only for a few second before the wolf shook itself out and it's eyes returned to their normal hazel.

"You must not like them very much." Stiles said immediately feeling stupid as he watched the wolf move up to walk beside him. Of course it doesn't like them you dumbass, they try and kill it regularly if it really is the Alpha. He tried to recover, "I'm sorry, I'm a dumbass, I know that they hunt you to."

It just occurred to him that throughout all the times he heard about the Hunters or hunters tracking the wolf, he never questioned why they did. It was just something that you heard about occasionally, like it was just something that was done. A fact like the grass was green or the sky was blue. It made him wonder what else he just went along with without a second guess.

How many other supernatural's out there like Scott were hunted for the wrong reasons? That was a morbid question that raised a gaggle questions that he certainly did not have the answers for. 

"They are after my friend, you see, he's an omega werewolf." Stiles was staring at the ground but he could feel the wolf glance up at him. "He decided to tell his girlfriend who is not only a Hunter" He stressed the word Hunter, "But also an Argent. If you didn't already know, they are a big family that are all a part of the Hunter clan."

He looked at the wolf to see if it could believe that and saw that it could, it really could. How he knew the wolf felt that way so easily, he wasn't sure, but the wolf was practically oozing it. It wasn't meeting his gaze and his fur on neck and back was bristling. Stiles was no longer sure he should keep going with this story, that was, until the wolf finally looked at him with an expectant gaze.

Stiles returned his eyes forward when he almost ran into a tree and continued after dodging it, "It didn't go well as you can probably guess seeing how you found me. A group of Hunters came and Scott went one way and I went another after I got them to chase me by starting a bit of a forest fire." He paused before adding, "A controlled one so it only burnt down like ten trees."

It was strange how the more he talked, the easier it was. It felt nice instead to have someone to talk to again. Especially since it was someone who was a great listener though he did miss the banter you got from someone who could, well, speak.

"Anyway, now Scott, my friend, is hopefully somewhere near Dunsmuir and we can find him before something-," He took another pause struggling a bit to get past the lump in his throat that suddenly developed, "...bad happens to him."

Stiles ended up drawing the hood up over his head and tipped his chin towards the ground in an effort to control the sudden influx of emotions that was hitting him. The next thing he knew was something nudging him in the shoulder. He looked up to see Wolfy walking right next to him. A smile crept up his face as he reached a hand out to pat the wolfs side.

"Thanks, I guess it's been a rough couple of days for me." He tried to laugh it off but it got caught in his throat and came out more like a cough. "You would know tough times I bet." 

Stiles then made a mental note to find out in the future more about the legend that was the Alpha and why it was hunted. Maybe try and figure out the origins. Right now the wolf was such an enigma and Stiles couldn't sit not knowing something. It wasn't like it could tell him itself.

Just like that, his mind was focused once more on the mission. Nothing good could come from dwelling on all the things going wrong right now. Better to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and find Scott.

With the wolf now aware of the events that had transpired before their meet up they continued walking in silence. Of course it wasn't like there was no sounds, it was a forest after all. 

Stiles just didn't know what else to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. Had to work a lot last week and will on Christmas. Gotta love being part time around the Holidays.


	7. Chapter 7

Stiles was beginning to feel the harsh hand of anxiety being dealt to him. 

The sun was starting to set and after a day of walking they hadn't even made it to the edge of Dunsmuir. From his knowledge it was a pretty big place which mean they should have hit it by now. He even rechecked the map and after realizing he was a failure at reading it, recast the finders charm from earlier. 

It ended up revealing that he was in fact an idiot. 

They were about three quarters of the way there which meant that reasonably making it there before the sun set was about a zero chance at the pace they were making. Normally, merely sleeping in the woods wasn't an impossible feat but this wasn't just any woods. This was the woods near Dunsmuir. That city was known for one big thing in the way of Supernatural's, a well established clan of vampires. 

Sure, the Hunters came through every once in a while to keep the city safe and the city was well stocked to protect themselves but if him Wolfy weren't near the city that wasn't going to do them a lick of good. In fact it did the exact opposite which pissed him off. Something about being so close yet so far rankled him. 

It was just a big fat tease.

That meant the miles of forest on all sides of him were clear as day vampire territory. The one thing he had going for him was the fact that the wolf had stuck with him through most of the day. It had only left once, to his surprise at the time, but came back after about a half an hour by his rough estimation. The blood around his jaw had clued him in that the wolf had left to hunt.

The time the wolf was gone had not been a pleasant time for him. Cue the mounting fear of being abandoned. Now at least he knew about the wolfs hunting needs for the future. This would help with the next time it happened but he knew it that the doubts would on some level continue to plague him.

"Let's try and find a place to set up camp, it's going to be dark soon and I don't fancy trying to gather sticks in the dark. Unlike you I don't do that well without some kind of light." Stiles reported to the wolf as he came to a stop to look around the nearby area. 

It looked like much of the other wooded area they had passed through all day so there wasn't anything new. Just trees, grass, dirt, bushes, and more dirt. The forest was really starting to annoy him.

Wolfy hadn't come to a complete stop with him and was instead sniffing around the edges of a perimeter that looked to be of its own making. Stiles figured it was a territory thing for the wolf as he watched the wolf pee occasionally on a tree it crossed. 

Well wasn't that gross. He stifled calling the wolf out on it. For all he knew maybe the urine had some sort of mystical property that warded off vampires. That or the smell would make them want to stay away. 

Tearing his gaze away from the prowling wolf, he went about gathering any dry kindling he could find in the vicinity. A fire would probably be too dangerous at the moment but later on it could definitely come in handy. If anything came up on them in the middle of the night, being able to see would probably increase his survival rating by at least ten percent.

The sun began to set further and further until the sky was mostly shades of dark purple and bits of orange by the time he was done with his tasks. Wolfy had long since settled down by a tree. It seemed to be entertained by his gathering and content to simply watch him move about. 

It almost looked relaxed but Stiles wouldn't put it past the wolf to be listening to every sound with rapt attention with the way it's ears were twitching. Even with that it was the most content he had seen the wolf outside of when the wolf had been dozing in the sun. 

"You let me know if you hear anything-" He struggled to find the appropriate word so he attempted to deflect the wolfs attention with hand movements until he settled on, "-anything bad. Vampires are probably around and while I don't know if they would eat you, they would definitely like some of this." He gestured to his body in a curvy motion to gesture to all of him.

Stiles swore he saw the wolf roll his eyes at that suggestion. 

Pointing a finger, Stiles retorted with, "Hey, I'll let you know I'm a catch in some very narrow circles. Yes I said narrow circles but those circles know what they like." With that established, Stiles settled down under his own tree next to the wolf. "Scott might be a little more well versed in some areas but I will catch up one day and when I do it will be with a vengeance."

There hadn't been a lot of people that had caught his eye but when they did, he fell hard. The glorious Lydia Martin had been the last one. He could still just barely picture her face but her beauty radiated off the memory. Her quick wit and sheer intelligence had left him slack jawed any time her saw her. 

Of course she had hardly noticed his half attempts of flirtation but he had just hit puberty, there wasn't much to work with. Even so it hadn't mattered in the end. It had been a sad day when their family had decided to move away to another town. 

With that nostalgia trip over with, he began to fumble for his water and food. It was only then that he heard the wolf rise from its position. Figuring that it was just going for another pee break or perimeter sweep, Stiles ignored it in favor of ripping into his jerky. This was a much more important matter because, you know, food. 

As he was slowly refilling his gut, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Wolfy heading towards him. His chewing was abruptly disrupted when the wolf practically knocked him forward off the tree he was leaning on with a swift head butt to his shoulder. The curses didn't even have time to come out as he had to shoot a hand out to stop face planting into the dirt. 

Seeing its opportunity, the wolf promptly laid down and effectively squeezed himself between the tree and Stiles upraised butt.

At first, Stiles froze as he felt the wolf make itself comfortable once more. He righted himself into a sitting position now using the wolf as a backboard instead of the tree. He should have felt awkward or uneasy but he felt a wild surge of affection blossom in his chest. Annoyance was also there at his meal being so callously disrupted but at a much quieter level.

Wolfy casually ignored him if it noticed and chose to instead return to its previous activity of listening with its head resting in its paws. 

This time, when Stiles raised a hand to pet the wolfs neck, there wasn't any hesitation. The words of teasing got stuck in his throat so he closed his mouth. It was okay to just enjoy the moment he decided. Words right now weren't needed.

The sun continued to dip as Stiles finished his dinner with his back cushioned up against the wolfs side. While he did that he began to recharge his tattoos. It was a simple activity but it did require most of his attention. The magic from his spark collected up into the runes and made them shine dimly in the darkness.

Stiles felt Wolfy look at him but he didn't meet its gaze. He instead watched the intricate markings on his arms pulse with the magic that was being infused in them. It made him feel whole again to have the magic that close. 

It was during these intimate moments where he truly felt the spark within him that he felt complete. When he finally felt his magic brimming fully in his arms did he reluctantly pull back the spark and let it settle once again and fade into the background. A hollow feeling settled briefly on him as he lost the connection but he pushed it away.

His body melted backwards into the wolfs side as he let out a large yawn complete with throwing his arms over his head to stretch. Bones cracked issuing that instinctual satisfaction at the sound. The cloak was then gripped and drawn tight around his body to become a sort of makeshift blanket. Tonight was hopefully going to be a much more restful one than the previous two. 

It didn't hurt that Wolfy made for a much more comfortable spot than the trees or ground did.

Stiles eyes began slip close as his head tipped partly onto his shoulder and the back cradled by fur. The warmth and security of the wolf made it easy to fall asleep even in vampire country like they were. 

"Wake me if any shit happens." He managed to mumble before he succumbed to the appealing pull of sleep.

Wolfy honored that request all to well when Stiles was awoken later that night by a familiar spine chilling growl. To others, it probably sounded like a nightmare come to life as it sunk in. To him all he heard was pure protection as he snapped his eyes open and his body tensed.

Instantly his eyes scanned the darkness but what he saw was all around him. Amid the forest surrounding them were pinpricks of red eyes glowing among the trees. Each and every one of them were looking directly at him. 

His instant reaction was to snap his hand forward and light the kindling piles he had formed while at the same time scooting backwards to further encroach in the wolfs space. He tried to hide it but he was sure that for that moment all the fear he felt had been etched onto his face. 

The three piles of sticks burst alight with a crackling of embers. Wolfy curled further around him slightly flinching when the fires were lit while continuing the visceral rumble that had to be of some intimidation. The figures that were near the perimeter sunk back into the darkness continuing to hide what and who they were. 

That didn't stop him from trying to peer into the shadows to find out exactly what they were dealing with. With this in mind, he flared the fires once more but the figures somehow managed to stay concealed. Frowning, he let the fires taper back to their self sustaining size as he finished his scan as his frustration mounted.

They were unfortunately surrounded by the pairs of red eyes that were of varying heights. Wolfy eyes were also ablaze, not surprising, but instead of looking around like Stiles was, it was focused on one set of eyes in the front. He turned his gaze on that particular pair as he pushed himself into a standing position. 

Wolfy followed suit but remained trying to shield Stiles as much as it was able.

Not knowing exactly what to do in this kind of situation, Stiles did what he did best by fumbling around until he did. If it's not broke don't fix it.

"Um, hello there." He raised a hand in a small but tense wave as he tried to display a easy going smile that came out rigid, "We didn't mean to bother anyone and we'll be out of here by tomorrow." 

His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. It seemed like every day he was forced into the role of being the prey. One day he had to be on the other side just to know what it was like.

The eyes he was focusing on widened in surprise for a split second before returning back to gazing at him steadily. He searched for what to say next even as his sparks simmered to the surface as if it wanted to be used. He was saved from fumbling for another response when the main pair of red eyes moved forwards just enough for a tall woman to slip barely into the flickering light of the fires.

She was exceptionally attractive with pale skin and brunette hair that fell in rivulets past her shoulders. Her lips were a luscious crimson and were slightly upturned as her eyes positively raked over Stiles. It felt like to him as if she could see every insecurity he had ever had in that brief look and how to use them against him. 

It took a lot of self control to continue to stand straight and not collapse in on himself like a wet napkin. Whatever it was had to be a pure predator to illicit this reaction from him. The urge to hide himself from the penetrating gaze was rising with each breath he took as the standoff continued until finally it spoke.

"Well hello there sweet pea, what's your name?" Her voice was velvety smooth that seemed to slip over him with an undercurrent of superiority. It was like he was five years old again talking to an adult that said they knew him. The over familiarity with which it spoke made him cringe internally.

Stiles kept his mouth shut not knowing how much to give away not liking the feeling of being off kilter that this conversation was eliciting. The fact that Wolfy was still growling in a steady cadence wasn't giving the woman any points for not being someone he should fear. The woman only smiled further at his silence as if she was amused by his trepidation. 

"Don't worry child, I don't have any wish to harm you or your apparent pet." Her eyes glanced to the wolf, "Not with the Alpha taking an interest you anyways. Not really worth the risk to me or my companions to attack you at this point. If we wanted to an ambush would have been our best bet anyhow." 

"What even are you? I can tell you're not human even over here." Stiles finally interjected needing to know for sure what supernatural creatures they were dealing with. At least then he could try and think of a strategy outside of simply running away. Not that that wouldn't always be a valid option. 

"You haven't guessed yet? I took you for a smart meat bag." She showed him a full on grin revealing sharpened canines as her voice took on a brief mocking cadence. "Surely you've heard of us sweet boy. We aren't known always for our subtly." 

"Yeah, I have. Just positively wonderful things" Stiles stated just a tad sarcastically struggling not to become relaxed in her presence. The more she talked, the more it felt like her words were coating over him like a thick covering of molasses. It was dulling his senses as if he was becoming drunk. "If you don't want to fight us, then why go to the trouble of talking to us?"

"We are mere curious creatures of the night at the moment summer child. All I wish is to know your name. Is that not something that people usually exchange during a proper greeting? Or has that gone out of style in the last century." She sauntered a bit closer but didn't stray past whatever invisible perimeter Wolfy had laid down. 

"It's Stiles." Stiles found himself saying before he knew the words were leaving his mouth. He was taken aback and briefly snapped back into lucidity. "Wait, what?" His hand came up to his lips as anger flushed through him at his own lack of apparent self control. 

This was not looking good.

"Stiles, Stiles," She rolled the name in her mouth like she was taste testing a new wine. "But that is not your true name is it not? Your birth name was something else. You cannot fool someone as old as me." She shifted on her feet letting her full hips swish from side to side. "Now why don't you tell me your true name so I can remember you for who you truly are."

Wolfys growl spiked in intensity as its hackles were raised. It looked to be from a few seconds from an all out attack if the vampire continued on its current conversation path. Stiles felt himself truly snap out of whatever magic she was trying to weave in the undercurrents of the air. He stood straighter and held his tongue in check feeling his own anger bubble underneath. 

The vampires beautiful face darkened at that display showing for a brief moment what had to be her true face. 

"Now there is no reason to act like that. Even with your protector I could make life very difficult for you." She ran a hand through her hair as she regained her composure and former features. "How is it someone so young has earned the Alpha as an ally anyhow?"

Stiles himself was curious of this himself so he had no response to the proposed question. Instead he just glared at her using that act as his answer. It made him feel less useless and that was worth it.

"You two are a curious pair. In all my years I've never seen something like this and I am quite old even if it doesn't look like it." She slyly winked at him, "Did you enchant the Alpha witch?"

Stiles blinked as he took a slight step back into Wolfy before standing strong once more."What would make you say that?"

"The magic is thick in your scent Stiles, even if you hadn't done that little display earlier with the fire I could tell a mile away." She hummed and briefly hugged herself, "It smells ripe and absolutely delicious but I hold myself and my companions back don't you worry sweet pea."

Gulping past his fear at the thought of what they would have done if he had been alone, he managed to respond steadily, "Are you their leader or something?"

"I am, have been for quite a while. They were fighting about who was going to drain you dry until we found out who your companion is. We aren't savages, we know when to say no." What was an attempted comforting smile by her only came out as creepy and hungry. 

Stiles had the unsettling feeling it was her that wanted him the most. Well that was just too damn bad. He liked his blood where it currently was.

"Thanks, I guess. I'm super glad you stopped yourselves from murdering me." He wanted to clap his hands sarcastically as he surveyed the group but held himself back on self preservation. No one couldn't say he knew where to draw the line. He didn't want to push them far enough to disregard Wolfy and attack them. Stiles was confident in the wolfs abilities but even so, they wouldn't come out of the battle unscathed.

"You are truly welcome." She quipped back noticing his sarcasm apparently. "We'll not hinder you, I promise, I merely wanted a glimpse of you to tuck away. I have a strange feeling about you."

"That didn't sound stalkerish at all." He deadpanned before he could stop himself as Wolfy looked one second away from leaping forward damned the consequences of doing so Stiles reached a hand up and stroked softly through the wolfs fur in a soothing gesture. 

This action did not go unnoticed by the head vampire.

"My, you have changed my dear Alpha. What happened to the slathering beast I knew naught a month ago. I miss that side of you. Always were kind enough to leave a warm carcass behind for the rest of us." She tapped a finger to her lip, "It's almost as if... hmm, this is more interesting than I initially thought and I don't often get caught off guard."

Her hand came up in a small curt wave which resulted in the surrounding red eyes to disperse once again back into the darkness from which they came. Stiles watched them go with a tense gaze not sure if they were really just going to go without any kind of attack.

"We will be leaving, but don't you worry, I intend to meet you two again to find out how this little tale ends." She turned on her heels and began to head back into the darkness. For the first time Stiles noticed she was barefoot.

Stiles watched them go when it felt like something whispered not two inches from his ear. "If you want to know more about the one you travel with, talk to my friend Jennifer in Dunsmuir. You won't have to search hard, she will find you and tell you what you want to know about your companion."

He tried in vain to brush the voice from his ears but it just sounded more amused the next time it spoke.

"Don't worry, this won't be the last time I see you summer child." He could feel her breath on his cheek as he stood there breathing heavily but soon it was gone. 

Stiles and the wolf stood alone in the forest once again.

"That was odd to say the least." Stiles heard his shaky voice finally say as Wolfys growl tapered down. Even so, it took a long time before Stiles sat back down and even longer for Wolfy to follow suit. When the wolf did laid back down in its original spot, it was not in a relaxing manner but a stiff legged one.

"It seems like she knew you, did you know her?" Stiles asked tilting his head towards his friend. What the apparent Darach had said to him was still ringing in his ears. It was an uncomfortable feeling to say the least. 

The wolf set it's ears back but didn't respond in any other way lacking the ability to give it a proper explanation if there was one. Stiles just had to accept that communicating with Wolfy would probably never get him the straight forward answers that he craved. All he could do was interpret that the wolf did indeed know the vampire titled the Darach from his past somehow.

Stiles shivered violently as he physically attempted to rid himself of the coating the voice had left on him during their conversation. If she had wanted to, and if he had been alone, he felt that he could have easily been persuaded to give his life up to them without any fight what so ever. That thought alone was more terrifying than the actual encounter had been.

He curled in further towards the wolf and grasped at its fur seeking it's security. The fires were tapered down to embers but weren't fully allowed to go out. Maybe he needed the improvised nightlight but fuck it, after that experience who was going to judge him. 

The rest of the night was spent in intermittent sleep and fearful vigilance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I used to update only on thursdays, crazy.


	8. Chapter 8

Unremarkably, Stiles felt less than energized by the time the sun rolled around carrying with it a new day. The bags under his eyes demanded to be felt when he groggily went about preparing for the short trek that would finally get them both to Dunsmuir. Wolfy didn't seem much better as it was acting less energized than normal.

Stiles wasn't sure if it slept at all last night. 

After their midnight visitors had finally departed, he had curled back up into his companion and attempted to sleep and keep watch at the same time. Wolfy hadn't bothered with such half efforts and instead had kept a strict lookout like a stoic lighthouse throughout the entire duration of the night. It wasn't until the sun had barely begun to rise that the wolf had snuck in what seemed to be a couple hours of sleep only once the coast was clear enough along with the protection of the daylight. 

All in all that meant very little conversation happened between the two of them besides the occasional grunt of complaint about their visit. Well, Stiles was the one voicing his complaints and a rather choice few words for their visitors but Wolfy was confined to the occasional disgruntled noise in response. Even with the communication barrier they could both agree on no uncertain terms that that had been a rather unpleasant nighttime experience.

Stiles could have done without it but it did further his curiosity about the Alpha. Through these past few days he had wondered about his traveling companion, who wouldn't, but his mind had been primarily focused on finding Scott and you know, the whole not dying thing. Now, the thought of whom and what exactly was the Alpha was also at the forefront of his mind. 

It didn't help that in the next city he had the choice of seeking out the answers he wanted. It was one thing not to have any avenues to find answers but having the option was messing with him. He had to decide whether or not it was worth risking a trap and that had yet to be determined. It was probably better not to seek it out but when had he ever chosen the safe route. 

Sure as hell hadn't been recently.

Once Stiles was sure everything he needed was safely stowed away in his bag and hidden under his cloak, he turned to Wolfy. 

"You ready to head out?" He asked trying to put on a happy face. The air of fatigue and unease was starting to get to him. No harm in trying to dispel it the best he could. That meant faking it until he made it or whatever he was attempting to do.

The wolf slowly rose to its paws and padded over to where Stiles stood. Stiles smiled up at it and raised his hands up to smooth down the fur around the wolfs neck and ears. The wolf practically crooned under his hands as it pushed into the dexterous fingers trying to deepen the contact. 

It was only when Wolfy began to push its head into Stiles neck to give him a good sniff did Stiles stop with his show of affection. That didn’t mean the wolf was finished with its own as it took its time doing whatever it felt was needed. It didn’t bother him so he just stood and let the wolf do its thing.

"You really did great last night." Stiles remarked softly as the wolf continued snuffling along his neck and collar bone. "I know I would have been a dead man if you weren't there." 

Wolfy let out a small growl at that, showing its distaste at the thought. 

Stiles chuckled, "Don't worry too much. I would have had your back for what it's worth. I may have been able to take at least one of them down before they got me."

Wolfys only response was to try and burrow its head further into Stiles chest. 

Stiles ended up giving in and hugging the wolfs head tightly in his arms before pushing it gently away after a moment. They still had to get to Dunsmuir and there was no way he was willing to spend the night in this forest again. Did he mention he was getting sick of the forest yet because he was. 

The way the Darach had talked about his scent still sent stomach curling shivers through him. It was one of the memories that would probably stick with him and give him the same feeling every time he thought about it. Like a splinter he would never truly rid himself of.

"Let's head out before anything else catches wind of us. Apparently I stink to high heaven." Stiles muttered bitterly as he started to walk in the correct direction feeling deja vu. How long was he going to be starting his day like this? The sooner he found Scott the better. He didn't know how long his nerves could last on this little adventure.

Wolfy trotted along at a steady pace by his side, keeping its head high and sniffing occasionally. Stiles had no doubt that the vampires had not truly left them alone but since it was daylight they were relatively protected from any surprise attacks. At least, he really hoped so. Vampire lore was a pretty steady thing but there were always variables in the supernatural community. 

Wasn't that a joy to think about?

As Stiles trudged along through the autumn foliage that littered the ground, he couldn't help but let his mind wander back to what the Darach had told him last night about Wolfy. A 'slathering beast' was the term she had used but Stiles had never seen that side of the wolf. Sure, that first night he had seen it had been a bit frightening but the wolf had been more of a precise killer than a mindless animal.

There was a missing piece to the puzzle and his mind was refusing to stop picking at it. It was uncannily like the feeling of something stuck in your tooth that refused to dislodge itself. The urge to go visit this Jennifer became more prominent and it was starting to look more and more like he had no choice but to seek her out. 

In the end, his main goal for visiting Dunsmuir was to keep a low profile. Last time in Arcata he had not set a prime example of entering and exiting a place. It had been in fact the example used to show how not to do things. 

Stiles tried to toss the thoughts from his head because it was going to drive him crazy if he kept thinking about it. To distract himself, he turned to one of his favorite pastimes, rambling. And Wolfy had proven itself to be an excellent listener so far.

"Hey Wolfy, I just realized something." Stiles pondered aloud keeping his inflection light almost to the point of teasing. "Even though we've been through some craziness together we really don't know that much about each other do we?"

The wolf didn't meet his eyes but snorted as if to say 'Really? I had no clue.' This, of course, was leaking in nonverbal sarcasm.

"I mean you know about my predicament and that I have a spark. And I also know that you are the Alpha but outside of that not much else. At least nothing personal." Stiles trailed off wishing for the hundredth time the wolf could really talk back to him. One sided conversations were great but they tended to get a bit stale, "So I think we should rectify that starting immediately."

Wolfy this time did shoot him a curious look that reeked of, 'How the hell are we going to do that, if you hadn't realized I can't talk.' Stiles filled in the best he could, the wolf really did have great body language and the more time he spent with it, the more he seemed to pick up on the social cues. 

Maybe this wouldn't be so one sided after all. 

"Well how bout I tell you something about myself and then I ask you a yes or no question?" Stiles put out there looking at the wolf who currently had its eyes forward not meeting his. "You can like flick your ears towards me for yes and nothing for a no." 

At this point, Stiles was about ninety percent sure that Wolfy could understand him and respond accordingly from what he had seen so far. He wasn't so sure at first but more and more it seemed like the wolf had more intelligence that it originally let on. This could work.

Even with that line of thought in place, Stiles still felt surprised when Wolfy flicked its ears towards him in agreement. A big smile lit up on his face as he fumbled for what he should tell about himself first.

"I told you I grew up in Beacon Hills right?" A flick for yes, "Well, I have lived there my entire life with my Dad who is the towns current sheriff. I think you would like him. He’s one of those guys everyone likes. I think you could say I got the same trait." Stiles shot the wolf a grin that the wolf pretended to ignore. "Anyways, it's just been him and me for a while and it was going pretty well up until lately."

Stiles knew that in Dunsmuir he had to find a way to get word to his Dad. Even if Hunters were breathing down his neck he couldn’t leave without something being sent out. His Dad had to be going crazy at this point wondering what had happened to him. It wasn't something he liked to think about.

"Do you have any family out there in the woods?" Stiles segued being genuinely curious and trying to distract himself. For all he knew the wolf had cubs out there somewhere or a pack. At this point, he wouldn’t have been surprised at all if the wolf had been born by the moon instead of any living creature.

And it apparently was the wrong question to ask. 

Wolfys apparent good mood shattered as its ears flattened on its skull and an angry cast fell over its eyes. Guilt hit Stiles like a sack of potatoes in the gut. He knew what that look meant. 

It was a look that was earned with great loss.

Stiles gave the Alpha the time it deserved before he said anything else. Slowly the wolfs ear were raised once again but the mixed emotions in its eyes didn't leave. It was then Stiles finally took the opportunity to speak up.

"I lost my Mom when I was eight." His words were quiet as he barely spoke above a whisper. It hurt even now to bring it up which was why he tended to avoid the subject at all costs. He kept his eyes downcast not looking at the wolf to see its response. "She was born with the spark like me and her main talent was healing the wounded and sick."

Even now he could still remember her working in the house by the side of whoever needed her help. Her kind eyes would never once leave theirs as her deft hands worked their way over whatever was ailing them. She had been like an angel the way the magic seemed to make her glow with an ethereal light. 

It had almost seemed to permeate the air and relax anybody else nearby. Looking back, it had probably been deliberate. When loved ones were hurt or in an ill state, family members tended not to react the most rationally. His mom had most likely been casting a calming aura as she worked.

Dad had said it was her gift, not a curse like more people viewed magic. 

People with the spark were not trusted to say the least. Stiles had to learn that at a young age when the other kids and adults gave him judging and distrustful looks. His Mom had never gotten any of the stares. People had trusted her implicitly because either they had gotten healed or one of their loved ones had. 

All their eyes had showed was pure admiration whenever she had passed by.

"She never refused anyone, no matter who came in or what condition they were in, she never said no." Stiles felt his hands form into fists as his throat tightened up and his eyes stung. "One night, there was a woman who had just had a baby but it hadn't gone right..."

Stiles remembered even now being woken up from the noise that had sounded like to him a crowd of people rushing to pile into their house. Being the curious kid that he had been, he had immediately crawled from his bed and peered into the main room. Four men had carried in a woman who had looked deathly pale. Blood had soaked her clothes from the waist down showing the damage was focused there. 

Even as young as he had been, he had known it had been bad.

His mom had just waved them in with that determined look in her eyes. Her pose had showed pure control over the situation. Even so, he had remembered wishing desperately for his Dad to be home to help instead of being out on patrol.

"The woman had been bleeding out and I found out later that the baby had died during the actual birth. My Mom, she must have known but she must not have cared. I think at that moment all she saw was someone that needed her help." Stiles took a breath trying to shake himself out of the roiling emotions as he wiped a palm across his suddenly wet cheek. 

His Mom had stood over that woman surrounded by an already grieving family for what felt like eternity. She had glowed like she had never done before as the magic became visible on the physical plane. If Stiles hadn’t been terrified he would have been mystified.

"She died that night using up everything she had to save that woman because she couldn't...say...no."

The image of his Mother’s body crumpling forward after it was all over was seared into his mind. Her form that was once full of life and magic was just an empty husk on the ground. All Stiles could do had been to stand in his doorway and pray it was a nightmare but he hadn’t been able to wake up.

"I just mean to say," He let out a breath, "I'm there with you. It's probably in much different circumstances but on some level I understand and it sucks." 

He glanced up at Wolfy to try and show what he meant with his eyes if not his words. That look that one got from losing someone so near to their heart was something no one wanted to gain. The look he received back was like looking into a mirror times ten.

Whatever had happened to his friend had been worse and Stiles felt his heart break for it. 

Wordlessly, he walked closer to the wolf and reached a hand up slowly looking for any signs the gesture was unwelcome. The wolf didn't break its stride but did look away from him. He finished the motion and slung his arm over as much of the wolfs back as he could in the best one sided hug he could manage. 

His hand did a steady motion as he leaned into the wolf. He could have sworn he felt the wolf push into the touch as if seeking out the comfort that was being given. They walked like that for most of the journey. When he did finally bring his arm back out of fear of losing circulation, he kept up the touch with gentle pats every once in a while as he talked about simpler events from his life.

Stiles told about his town and all the good people that lived there. Stories from his childhood with Scott and anything he thought that might bring a smile to the wolf. Occasionally he would throw a question to the wolf like if it knew the area or if it thought the town was near and almost every time he got a clear answer back.

By the time they reached sounds of civilization, it felt like a weight had been lifted off Stiles shoulders. He hadn't realized how much simply talking about his Mom would make him feel better. The topic had mostly been buried at home with his Dad shutting down whenever the slightest bit was brought up. In a way, it was like pulling out a rusted stopper in a drain.

He couldn't be sure of it but it looked like Wolfy felt the same but in a different way. He wasn’t a hundred percent of himself but the wolf looked a bit lighter than it had before when the question was first posed. He did like to think that he had helped it just as much as it had helped him.

If he had helped at all, Stiles would count that as a victory.

While Stiles knew that Wolfy couldn't come into town with him, he was surprised all the same when it suddenly stopped short in their trek. 

Stiles came to a halt shortly after taking a couple of more steps forward unsure of whether the wolf had truly come to a complete stop or just was taking a moment to scent the air. When he didn’t hear the wolf continue forward, he turned around to face it feeling like he had seen this scene before. 

He found the wolf was standing still as it emanated angry frustration as it stared forward at him.

"Are you okay?" Stiles tried asking when a thought him. This exact event, while a bit different in the details, was exactly like what happened outside of Arcata. "Can you not come any closer to the city?"

An ear flick was his response as Wolfy began to pace up and down a short span of what seemed to be an invisible barrier. Thinking fast, Stiles tried to sense if there was anything in the area that would cause this phenomenon to happen. When he first began, he felt nothing but a few second later he felt the buzz.

There was indeed some kind of magic at work in the area. What kind of magic eluded him but he knew the feel of natural magic when he felt it. That was Deatons specialty and he had felt it many times before.

"There’s something here, I can feel it." He explained starting to understand the wolfs agitation. "And whatever it is is preventing you from getting near the city right?" 

Another flick and Stiles got his answer. 

Stiles knew it had to be the Hunters doing in some way. While he really doubted this was a new development, it was still a smart one. This also meant though that while he was in the city, there was no way backup was going to reach him.

Wolfy looked like it wanted to drag him back across the barrier to prevent him from venturing further without it. Its pacing had not stopped and occasionally it looked to try and test the barrier patency but it got driven away each time. It was hard to watch.

Stiles wanted to comfort his friend but didn't want to risk being stopped from getting the information he desperately needed. His hands stayed firmly at his sides and he didn't walk towards the wolf. He had to be strong if he wanted to succeed in his mission.

"I have to go, and you know I do." Stiles got no response but the pacing did stop as the wolf stood and faced him a few feet away. "I need you to do something for me while I'm in there."

Stiles felt nervous to voice his request but he had to for Scotts sake.

"I need you to scout around and look for any signs of Scott." Stiles didn't know if Wolfy could do it without ever meeting his friend but the wolf had surprised him before. "If he passed through the area I need to know for sure." 

Wolfy nodded slowly to show it understood. Stiles felt the corners of his mouth upturn as relief filled him. 

"I'll try and be back here by nightfall okay, so we can meet up." 

Another nod and Wolfy took off into the woods without another word exchanged. Stiles felt slightly lost as he watched the wolf disappear. It was only then did he ponder that the wolf had nodded instead of the usually ear flick. That would have to wait, he didn’t have time for philosophical pondering.

Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulder he pivoted around and marched towards the city. 

See Dunsmuir was a lot different from Beacon Hills and even Arcata for one big reason. When Stiles broke through the tree line the reason was fairly obvious. It had a large stone wall surrounding most of the city. He had never had the chance of seeing it until now and it took his breath away to see what had been accomplished.

There were a few farms on the outskirts but he knew that most people lived inside the safe walls from what he had heard from travelers and merchants. Since the walls were built, the city had forced to build upwards to stay inside the perimeter which meant the buildings were much taller than any he had ever seen built out of stone and brick instead of wood. 

He vaguely remembered learning about a very lucrative quarry nearby that provided them with most of the material making the whole city possible.

Unfortunately, with the way the city was built, the land between the walls and the forest line was quite broad. Even from where he stood among the trees he could see movement on the walls indicating they were indeed guarded and guarded well. After his encounter last night he didn't blame them.

With his cloak being dark green at least he blended in with the forest enough he wouldn’t get spotted from this distance. He had no doubt they could shoot him even with him being this far away if they thought he was a threat and spotted him. The only way forward would be to somehow sneak into one of the entrances. How he would do that would be managed with how he did everything these days, pure improvisation on the fly. 

It didn't take long before he saw the main road feeding into the city through a pair of massive wooden gates. There had to be a way to get in but at the current moment the gates were closed. The sound of wheels rumbling down the road presented him with the perfect opportunity to sneak in.

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by hay on all sides in the back of a cart. You would think hay would be comfortable but it was not at all in that moment. Thistles were poking him in some very sensitive areas and the breathing situation was a tad on the hard side but this was the best he could. 

It felt way longer than it probably was but when he heard those lumbering gates creak open he wanted to cheer in relief. Voices were vaguely heard that were assumed to be between the driver and guards at the gate. For a few fearful moments Stiles thought that a pitchfork would soon enter the picture to make sure no unwelcome shipment was under the hay. Luckily soon the cart was once again rolling forward with no pitchfork making a guest appearance.

After breathing in a sigh of relief and then promptly spitting out the hay that was inhaled with it. He waited until what he thought was an appropriate amount before slipping out of the cart. If anyone noticed him they sure didn't show it. Maybe he just didn't notice the stares because the second he starting looking around he was in utter awe.

The city from the outside had amazed him but standing on the paved road surrounded by the well crafted stores and houses transfixed him. Never before had he seen anything like this and it made him feel very small standing before the leering buildings. What broke his gaze were shoulders bumping into him as people rushed into him. 

It was only then he realized he had been standing in the middle of a busy road.

Feeling his face heat up in embarrassment, he drew his hood up and got his head back on the mission. He only had till night fall before he had to find a way back out. The gate lumbered closed behind him as he disappeared into the crowd.


	9. Chapter 9

Well this sucked. 

Stiles eyes roamed hopelessly over the tall buildings that towered over him in dismay because damnit, he was lost. The numerous roads had quickly become mazelike in nature with no apparent rhyme or reason to their setup leaving him constantly turned around. The crowds of people funneled him wherever they pleased despite his protests and attempts to go against the tide. He mused angrily that this was one of those places you only really knew if you had been born and raised in it. 

Worse yet, the stacked buildings made it next to impossible to keep a visible landmark in view despite his numerous attempts of peering up on his tiptoes.

Being lost was something he could handle. Hell, he had been turned around more than his fair share of times during his many romps in the woods with Scott. No, what was really getting under his skin were all the freaking hunters. Everywhere he turned there was one of the blasted dark armored souls stationed at a crosswalk or under a store front looking bored. Curses were had as Stiles found himself becoming more and more anxious about their eyes meeting his. More often than not he saw them and to avoid being spotted he had resorted to ducking into alleyways which were even more convoluted then the streets. 

All of that amounted to leaving him with frayed nerves and a jittery stance which was not a prime state to be in for sneaking. 

Stiles ran a hand over his face in frustration as he leaned against a wall trying to get this thoughts together. The reason that the Hunters were so abundant outside their usual numbers had to be because of him and Scott. No way would they have so many in one place without a good reason. A sinking feeling began to form in his gut at the thought of all the ways he could get caught but alongside it was a small measure of relief. More hunters had to mean he was on the right track of some sort. That or they were both up the wrong creek but hey, he was an optimist. 

Sadly, even with this bright outlook, the cities setup of high walls meant if shit went down, there was no obvious escape route. The always trusty back up plan of dashing into the woods was not a valid option at this point in time. All this accumulated to was that if he got caught, it would not be good. No backup, no escape plan, and very little direction meant that his urge to punch something was only going to rise.

If there was any silver lining to the situation it was he had a lot of eavesdropping material and his disposal. Pushing against the wall, he began to make his way through the city. Keeping his hood up, he continued to see many hunters and as shift change occurred more than one chatting with one another. If there was going to be anyone who was going to talk about an omega werewolf in the area it would be a Hunter off duty and hopefully drinking a bit.

If there was thing that was true, it was that Hunters liked to brag. And if they were inebriated then all the better.

Over the course of the day, if he saw a Hunter in just the right position that allowed him to sneak up just so then he took advantage. His heart always felt like it was going to beat out of his chest when he did so but he just tried to focus on Scott and how the dumb oaf was relying on him. The mantra of dumb oaf probably wouldn't make sense to anyone listening but if his heart wanted to stay where it was, it was going to have to stay. 

So far he heard numerous “blazing feats of glory”. And he thought he was a story weaver but so far no mention of hide or hair of Scott.

What he did find was a courier station. 

The urge to sink to the ground in relief was almost overwhelming. Something was finally going his way and it made him feel on top of the world. Before the throngs of people could push him down the paved street and make him lose sight of this blessing, he plowed through without excuse to enter the establishment. It was only then he realized he still had no money to barter with.

You have got to be freaking kidding me rang in his head. The dagger he still had stowed away in his boot was briefly considered to be used in some kind of trade but he figured there was no way a courier would think that was a fair exchange and the map he had was too useful. Stealing was quickly becoming the only torrid option.

Lady luck apparently was rooting for him as soon he noticed the woman behind the counter was struggling with what looked to be a box. Upon inquiry, she revealed she had locked the money box and lost the key. Some quick thinking had him lying that he was an apprentice to a locksmith. The young lady didn't look to be convinced but he guessed he looked trustful enough for her to let him have a go. That or she was very desperate.

It was only after he had successfully opened it, with some magical help deftly hidden, that he breached the subject of a trade for his service. She looked to be close to tears, happiness he hoped, as she accepted. He found out she was the daughter to one of the couriers and was covering for a lunch shift.

That explained it then.

She putzed around as Stiles sat in a corner to try and write a letter to his Dad. As soon as his pen hit the paper his mind went blank. Oh there went a tumbleweed.

'Stiles you can do this, you only have to explain you are on the run for your life and Scott is who knows where and oh yeah, a wolf sorta adopted your son.' The frustration was beginning to make his head ache. There was no way to subtly put it that he had royally screwed up. Gritting his teeth he finally wrote out,

"Hey John, It's your little man. You probably are wondering where I went off to a couple of days ago. Well, I messed up Dad. I don't know how else to put it. My friend needed me for something and I agreed. He didn't try and coerce me in anyway and no I didn't persuade him back because I know you think I'm the brains for every time we both screw something up. We lost each other when stuff went south and I'm trying to find him. I'm safe and I hope to be home soon. Whatever the Hunters have told you is probably true but I promise I haven't gone to the dark side like they most likely have said. If they said anything about my friend, well part of that is true to and I'm sorry I didn't tell you but it wasn't mine to tell. Key points though, I'm safe, my friend I believe is safe, I'm going to find him, and I'm going to come home once I find him. I will explain everything then and please don't come and look for me. By the time you get this I have no idea where I'll be. I love you, and I can't wait to see Beacon Hills again. God, I did not think I would ever say that.

Love your little man

It was finished with a flourish as he stared down at his handwriting. He knew it was vague and would probably anger his Dad more than placate him but he couldn't risk any more information. If it fell into the wrong hands and got passed to certain dangerous people it would not end well for him or his family. What he had down would just have to do. The important thing was that if it reached his Dad, at least he would know he was safe. 

Stiles gave it to the lady behind the counter and she promised she would send it off with the next courier heading that way. The relief that swept through him upon exiting the establishment was palpable. Time was not on his side to allow him to take a moment to revel in it and instead he had to set off once again through the bustling roads with a heart that was a bit lighter.

It felt like time was slipping through his fingers as the day wore on and no word of Scott was mentioned from even the drunkest of Hunters. The thoughts of maybe giving up for the day and trying to leave the city were crossing his mind when he walked past what looked to just another alleyway. That was he initially took it for until felt a strange tug course through his body rooting him to the spot directly in front of it.

People bumped into him obviously annoyed by the sudden obstacle to their path earning him a couple of obscenities thrown his way. Stiles ignored them as a coil of trepidation unwound inside of him. Somehow he didn't need to look down the pathway to know what awaited him down it. Almost in a trance, he felt his feet turn towards the alley and slowly he began to walk forward.

The same sensation from last night when the Darach had spoken to him with her velvety voice began to descend upon him. This time he didn't have Wolfy to snap him out of it. The fear would hit later but right at this moment a certain level of peace sat within him not allowing his brain to properly connect that yeah, he should be freaking out.

The peace turned into euphoria when he found himself standing in front of a solid wooden door that in his right mind, would have found out of place in the dingy alley. It had stone steps leading up to it and cut quite the image surrounded by the dank surroundings. For now all he could relish in was the relief filling him as if this was where he was meant to end up after all this time. 

A loud church bell rang nearby and Stiles felt himself snap out of whatever trance had been invoked over him. A large shiver came unbidden to run through his body as his thoughts finally became his own again. Yeah, that was something he was starting to get sick of. Two times in one week was just too much for him.

Once had been enough.

Just as he was about to step away from the door and reevaluate his life choices, the door began to creak open. This caused him to jump back with his arms upraised in a rather poor defensive position. He really needed to learn some better combat skills.

Searching eyes met his own when the door fully opened as a middle aged woman stepped forward into the alleys dim light. She wore some kind of medical garb with her auburn hair pulled tightly back into a bun with nary a hair out of place. She looked to be one of those ladies that demanded meticulousness in all aspects of her life and others with the way her eyes seemed to scan over his dirty clothes as if it was a personal offense against her. It didn’t help that he probably smelled.

He had to resist pulling on his clothes in shame. Her gaze was that judgmental it even got to him, someone who at this point had little give a shit about someone thoughts on his clothing of all things. She almost seemed to sneer at him as if this was an entire waste of her time before she turned around and waved him in while she walked back into the building leaving the door open just a crack. 

“Well come in before you catch a cold. I’ve been expecting you all day.” Her voice was like glass mixed in a bucket of ice, unexpectedly cold and sharp. 

“Yeah, um, I’m not sure if I want to do that. I already got caught in one of your traps you set up out on the road.” Stiles snarked back crossing his arms in front of him. That house practically reeked of magical properties and the woman did not come across as someone entirely normal. “Because see, I like this whole thing called living.”

She reappeared in the doorway looking not at all amused by his commentary. Stiles guessed that she was one of those people that always had it her way. Probably why she lived in an alley. 

“It’s always easier when they don’t snap out the daze.” She sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. It was then he noticed the bright red sheen to her nails. 

“Not sorry about that at all. Now who the crap are you?” He pointed a finger at her in accusation. She must have some reason for bringing him down here and he was dead set on finding out what it was. He had to be careful though because if his instincts were right she had magic and that equaled a huge danger sign. 

“You may call me Jennifer.” The now named Jennifer spoke slowly as if he was an idiot that needed to be catered to. “And I had word that you would show up on my doorstep today by a certain Darach.” 

Stiles body betrayed him by taking a slight step back with the sudden spike in fear that coursed through his body. The name alone after that visit was enough to make the hair on the nape of his neck rise. It didn’t help that he was in a foreign city with his only back up unable to help him in the least. He was the backup, damn that was sad. 

“I see you have met her then. We have had our dealing in the past but she has a certain-” Jennifer paused slightly tapping her lip in thought, “-air about her I suppose that can damage lesser beings. She sent you here yes?”

“She didn’t really send me anywhere. More like coerced me.” Stiles mentioned remembering the whispers that had filled his ears. “And yeah, not a lesser being here. Just a regular person here, no need for the jabs.”

“Normal, lesser, anyone is below her in those terms. Even I hesitate to displease her but you are here for a reason. Let us not linger here at the entrance. It’s rude.” She truly did look put out with the whole thing. Her fingers were rhythmically tapping on her arm in annoyance.

“What do you know about the Darach?” Stiles ventured ignoring her plea to resume the conversation inside.

“If I tell you that will you stop with the childish behaviors?”

Stiles rolled his eyes before responding, “Sure, yeah, will do.” He wanted to mock salute her but at the last second controlled himself.

“She is something much older than you could imagine and for some reason she has taken an interest in you. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is still up in the air for creatures such as her time hold no meaning. She also has eyes in unusual places.” Her eyes glimmered slightly with that last tidbit but Stiles attributed it to the light. 

“That is all you can tell me?” 

“Regrettably for us both, the Darach only is truly known by her own followers and the other supernatural creatures that encounter her. For us she will always be an enigma on almost all levels.”

“Well great.” Stiles sighed pulling down on his face. It’s as if life just wanted to keep kicking him while he was down, not ever letting him truly have a foot hold in any aspect.

“Now enough with this diddle daddle. I know you arrived on my stoop for a reason and that reason is the Alpha.” 

Stiles gaze shot up at that locking eyes with the domineering lady. Her smirk showed that he had just demonstrated all she had known. He found himself not caring as a frown crossed across his face.

“What do you know about it?” He all but demanded sounding probably like the petulant child that she viewed him as. 

“I know quite a bit but I am truly weary with our current scenery. For this conversation I must insist we retire inside. I have herbs boiling for a customer and if they turn sour it is you who will have to pay.” Her eyes turned cold as all her patience ran out.

Stiles was caught between a rock and a hard place. For one thing he really didn’t know if he could leave even if he wanted to. She had the look of someone who had a plan and that plan was not going to change unless she allowed it to. The other aspect was that right in front of him there could be all the answers to the questions that had plagued his mind for the past couple of days. 

Winging it probably wouldn’t turn out too horribly. That was all he really had done for a strategy anyway and he hadn’t died yet. The spark flared inside him as he took a step forward towards the doorway. Fire was also a nice backup if he needed to escape.

Jennifer stepped back to allow him entry into what looked to be a small cottage on the inside. “Now that wasn’t too hard was it? I’m glad you have some lick of sense in that empty noggin of yours.” 

Stiles ignored her blithering remarks about his lack of intelligence. The house setup was the focus of his interest at the moment. It looked like all those classic evil witches cabins that were in the fairy tales that had dotted his child hood. His mom had tried to discourage him from reading them.

Herbs were strung from the rafters as well as bottled in jars on shelves among an assortment of other ingredients. A fire crackled in the center with a large pot hung over it boiling furiously. The architecture and décor screamed a working medicinal herbalogist that focused on the potion aspect of the career. 

“Make yourself comfortable while I take care of this.” She directed him towards a set of chairs that were orientated around a round table off to the side. Strewn across the tabletop was jarring equipment with no room for the primary focus of an eating table. He perched his butt on the edge of the chair not allowing himself for a second to become complacent.

He watched her wave a hand over the pot and to his non surprise the ladle began to stir in a steady rhythm. 

She glanced back at him with raised eyebrows but didn’t say a word. So she did have magic. Meeting another with magic was not common but it did happen. There had to be more than a couple in a city this size but he didn’t kid himself that he would know the specifics.

“There isn’t much known to the masses about the Alpha outside of what the Hunters allow to leak out with their insufferable boasting.” She talked as she worked being efficient in both elements without a drop in level of skill. It was clear she had talent in multitasking.

“You apparently do.” Stiles remarked back still eyeing his surroundings. 

“Yes but I am not one of the mere masses if that wasn’t clear from earlier. I assume you think it is some mindless animal that is ageless, something that just is among the trees that has always been but that is where you would be wrong.” 

Jennifer threw a bunch of green herbs into the pot causing a burst of smoke to pour out before turning dramatically to bear down upon him. Stiles instinctively pushed back into the chair as she stared down at him when a small fit of coughing hit him.

“There is a thing called personal space you know that right?” She ignored him and stared directly into his eyes.

“That thing out there is not what you think it is. It is not a mere overly large wolf.” Her words were spoken with finality and sternness as if she didn’t believe he had the brain processing power to fully comprehend what she was saying. 

“I’m pretty sure it isn’t a turtle if that is what you are trying to say.” Stiles responded between small coughs trying to get a breath of fresh air among all the smoke that seemed to be increasing.

She pulled away with him with an aggravated sound. “C’mon Stiles, you have to be smarter than this to have the Darach take notice in you.” It was clear she didn’t often take time to talk to people that she thought beneath her. 

“What are you trying to say because you need to just say it already?” Stiles leaned forward trying to match her intensity.

“It’s no animal. That thing out there is a werewolf.” 

Stiles felt his stomach drop. If what she was saying she was true and his gut was saying it was, then Wolfy was a person inside and not the animal he had believed it was. 

“I can tell you know it’s true. The poor thing was once a part of the Hale clan that lived in the northern regions until tragedy struck and the Alpha became who he is now. Poor Derek Hale, doomed to wander the lands trying to find the one who betrayed him and his family as a mindless animal. Any trace of the man he once was has long been erased by hatred and the urge for revenge.” 

Derek, the name rang in his head. It was an odd disconnect to have the image of Wolfy in his head in dynamic with this faceless visage named Derek Hale. Her description also was not fitting what he had experienced so far with the Alpha.

“That is all I was told to tell you and now the part of my deal is done.” Jennifer could barely be seen in the smoke that now filled the room. Stiles was realizing the burning in his lungs was only getting worse not better. His urge to find more about this Derek was strong but his urge to not asphyxiate was a bit higher on the priority list.

He needed to get out now.

“Then I should probably go then.” Stiles went to stand up in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner but his legs weren’t agreeing with this plan. “What the fu-“

“It’s a neurological agent. I myself am immune after inhaling small doses over time but for lesser being like yourself it can do some corrupting for a short amount of time.” She sounded almost bored like this was tedious for her.

Stiles anger rose to the surface like a geyser. This was getting so old and he was not going to put up with it. Yeah he was stupid for coming in here but that didn’t mean he deserved whatever she had in store for him.

“I’m leaving, right now.” Stiles made his voice sound as threatening as he could make it while he felt like hacking up a lung. 

“I really don’t see how that is going to happen. See, the deal was to not harm you until I gave you the information but now that is done.” She walked over near him as if he was just another gear in her machine. “Don’t worry too much, you are just going to be the conduit for a couple of big potions I need to make and if you live then you will be free to leave.”

His spark seemed to leave his control as the fire in the center of the room flared and roared to a much greater height almost licking the ceiling and completely engulfing the pot that had been resting in the center. Jennifer let out an undignified squeak and flinched away from the growing heat. Her face turned to him and looked to be filled with surprised mixed with the usual indignation.

“If you don’t get me out of this house right now I’m going to burn it down.” It was almost as if he was just the emotion anger itself.

“How are you even doing this? The smoke should have disconnected you from your magic.” Her voice was full of curiosity and for the moment forgot the growing fire hazard in her house.

“I’m not going to say it again. I’m leaving so get me out of here!” Stiles this time didn’t wait for her help and instead tipped out of chair and began to crawl towards the door. 

Jennifer rushed over to him as he rolled over on the ground just as she descended upon him. His hands came up to battle with hers as she attempted to grip him and pull him back into the house. 

“You cannot leave now. You are too great of asset.” She tried a big heave to pull him back but Stiles used his dead weight to counteract the pull. His legs were slowly getting their feeling back. It might be because the air was slightly clearer here on the ground. 

The fire, fueled by his intense anger, rose in the background but Jennifer ignored it focused solely on him. They grappled on the ground as more of her herbs began to catch fire and spread the heat even further. 

“I hope you didn’t like your house too much.” Stiles managed to get out in a hoarse snarl.

“It’s just a thing and things can be replaced.” She spit back trying to pin his hands by his head. 

His legs were still numb and tingling and his hands were pushed down by his head. The fire must have been a fluke because as of now his spark refused to respond to any of his further urges. The fire in the background was now growing of its own violation. 

Her sneering face inched closer to his and all her could notice was her once perfect hair was in disarray mirroring her mental shift.

“Now, how about me and you fix this mess you created.” Her knee dug into what he thought might be his spleen painfully. “You will make up the cost of all that you have made me lose and if you aren’t a pitiful husk of what you once were at the end then I’ll leave you in some alley for the dirty low life’s to find you. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a young thing like you to play with.”

“Go to Hell, oh wait, looks like your house already is trying to recreate it for you.” In the back of his head, in a odd part that wasn't terrified, he facepalmed at his attempt at a vocal jab. 

“Once you have settled down I can fix it you ingrate.” She slapped him sending his head smacking into the ground as she yelled out the last word.

Stiles was about to retaliate with some choice picked words when an arrow seemed to suddenly appear in Jennifer’s shoulder. She looked to be as shocked as he was as they both stared at the new object in their midst, both motionless, when words rang out from behind them.

“Get away from him bitch.” 

Stiles twisted his head towards the new voice and there standing in the doorway was his new angel, Allison Argent in all her sweeping glory with her deadly bow posed to fire another arrow. She looked furious with her brunette hair waving in the wind like some warrior goddess. Her face was still as utter control radiated out.

“Allison!” Stiles cried out in delight craning his neck to see her, “Great to see you.”

“Wow, of all the people that would show up it’s the universes greatest joke that it would be an Argent.” Jennifer spoke slowly rising from her position on top of Stiles. Once he was out from under her surprising weight he began to scoot backwards towards the entrance and his savior Allison.

“Keep talking and I can add another arrow to you.” Her voice was calm and cool like a mountain spring. 

Jennifer stopped talking but the fear of becoming a human pincushion was not apparent on any of her features. As she stood there almost proudly with the raging inferno consuming her house she looked to be the picture of a damned soul in Hell. The arrow still poignantly sticking out of her shoulder didn’t seem to faze her. 

Soon arms hooked under his armpits and began to quicken his leaving of the house.

It wasn’t long until his body bumped down the few steps and he was lying out in the cool air of the outside world. 

“You are a top grade idiot aren’t you? Really Stiles, what made you think at all that was a good idea. I barely found you in time.” She rushed out the words as she looked him over briskly for any injuries.

“You really won’t let me breathe for just a second will you?” Stiles gasped out enjoying the ‘fresh’ air of the city flowing into his lungs.

“Idiots don’t get a moment.” She finally let up on her examination as she turned to stare him down.

Stiles glanced up at her and tried to smile but she shut it down with a look. He pulled himself up to a sitting position and tried to massage the feeling back into his legs faster. The prickly feeling was creeping up them and intensifying as he did so. It was then he noticed the steps and door was no longer even there. Just the blank stone wall of the alley greeted him.

“Yeah, that might not have been my shining moment of glory.” Stiles admitted.

The fear that he had shut down in the moment began to creep up making him realize that he might have had some difficulty getting out of there on his own. Okay, probably a little more than just some difficulty but the chance was still there that he could have escaped on his own. A small chance but that still counted.

Allison sat down next to him and gave him a pat on the back. While they had never been ‘friends’ they did have some connection due to Scott which got Stiles thinking.

“What are you doing here Allison? How did you get away from the other Hunters?” Stiles inquired feeling confused. The last time he saw her she had been trapped under another man’s body as he had run away in one direction and Scott in another.

“I was tracking Scott after your little show in the woods and came across your particular trail.” She shot him a look as if to say she knew about Wolfy or Derek or the Alpha, hell he didn’t know what to call him anymore. 

“Well I’m glad you found me when you did. I haven’t had much luck in finding Scott here.” Stiles told her not proud of how little he had accomplished.

“He’s not here Stiles.”

“He’s not?! Then what are you still doing here saving my ass?” Stiles attempted to stand and while he wobbled a bit on the first step he did manage to make his legs keep him upright. Allison followed suit and stared him down as if to say ‘how dare you question anything I do when I just saved you’.

Allison’s face soon though changed to shame and sorrow as she looked away from his gaze. “He got caught Stiles, he’s at the Hunters home base in Sonoma."

Fuck.


	10. Chapter 10

Stiles face went blank as he simply stared at Allison growing numb. The earth shattering news that Scott had been caught and heading towards what might be possibly be the worst place with the worst people was something he hoped to never hear. The thought that if Allison hadn’t found and told him was almost too much to bear. 

That he would have just gone on living not knowing and still hoping that Scott was still out there was horrible.

“Stiles, are you still with me?” Her voice was uncharacteristically soft.

Stiles eyes slowly lifted off the ground to meet hers. He had to keep it together. Scott was still alive, he would have felt it if his best friend had died. 

Wouldn't he?

“Yeah, I am.” He quietly murmured as he went to stand. “C'mon, you can tell me on the way. Let’s go save his ass together.” His voice grew steadier with his resolve tightening up.   
Now was not the time to grow weak, not when his friend needed him the most. 

“I was hoping you would say that. I stowed my horse outside the city, let's go.” Her face slipped easily into one that showed pure determination. Brown eyes steeled over as if she was on just another hunt that needed her undivided attention. 

Allison began to lead the way and Stiles dutifully followed after trusting her to know the best way to get out of the city. While they quickly jogged through the corridors of alleys, careful to stay out of the way of any watchful eyes, they struggled to get one another caught up on what transpired on their separate journeys. 

“After your little fireworks display in the woods, I was able to pull loose of my father's grasp and run after Scott."

“That was your Dad?!” Stiles couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, his eyes widening as the revelation washed over him. He had his suspicions but to have it confirmed was somewhat of a shock.

“Yes, he had followed me with his friends to our meeting wanting to catch us in the act. I had already known Scott was a werewolf and he must have suspected something as well.” Allison explained as she held out a hand signally Stiles to stop while she peeked around a corner. 

“So you did know he was a werewolf. How did you figure it out?” Stiles asked as he waited for her to give the sign that it was all clear. 

“Really Stiles? I’m a Hunter not a moron. I was taught the signs.” She glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow with just the slightest upturn to the corners of her mouth.

“Point taken, glad Beacon Hills is stupid in that department. You would not believe how stressful it was keeping his furry butt covered.” Stiles rattled on thinking back to what was now considered the good ole days. He reminisced silently until Allison waved him on and they were once more traveling forward.

“I can only imagine." Allison remarked sounding wistful for a moment. "After I got away I was able to grab my horse and get away from the others but in the process I lost Scotts trail.” Her voice was filled with frustration as if she blamed herself. “Though you managed to distract the main entourage the remainder were the elite of the elite and kept me busy the rest of the night. They were…relentless." 

She paused in her recall of the event and gave him a curious momentary look back.

“How did you get away from the Hunters that chased after you? I’m not going to lie Stiles, I thought you were dead the second you appeared in the forest like you did.” There was no dancing around the question. 

Stiles didn’t answer right away and instead mulled over how and if he should tell her the truth. She noticed his hesitation but let him take his time and answer. 

“I had help from someone but you probably won’t believe me if I tell you.” Stiles trailed his fingers against the wall they were following. 

“Try me.”

Stiles sighed letting his fingers drop. Maybe it was best just to be honest. If she didn't believe him she would see the truth soon enough. 

“I ran and ended up getting surrounded on all sides. They managed to injure me and what you thought would have happened probably would have but then someone came to help me." 

"Who was it?"

"It was the Alpha. I thought I was having a brain aneurysm but there it was like a legend come to life. It killed them right before my eyes and has been helping me since." Even to him it sounded like some kind of fairy tale that you tell kids to help them sleep at night. 

Don't worry kids, the Alpha is out there protecting you.

“The Alpha.” Disbelief coated her words. 

“Yep.”

“It helped and is helping you instead of killing you?” Her voice sounded incredulous and Stiles didn’t blame her in the least. A lot of his world views had been shaken to the core these past few days. 

He would have probably reacted the same way as her in her position.

“Yeah, you were right, I don’t really believe you.” She at least had the courtesy to admit that.

“He’s waiting for me outside in the woods right now. I'm going to go find him after we get out of here so if you stick around you will probably meet him." Stiles told her as they continued a convoluted path down the alleyways. 

“Right…” Allison remarked sending him a fleeting look as if she was slightly concerned about his mental state after the trauma he had gone through. She let the subject drop.

“Told you so.” His head dropped as he passed a hand over it feeling a headache build up.

“Yeah I know what you told me.” She waved a hand at him indicating they needed to be quiet as they approached the busy main street that wove its way throughout the entirety of the city. This meant that it was the widest by far and even though the day was winding down it was still severely busy. “Okay, this will probably be the easiest way of getting out, let’s just keep our hoods drawn up and not draw any unneeded attention to ourselves. Be one with the crowd alright?"

“And if we get caught?” Stiles whispered somewhat harshly needing some sort of plan in case things went to shit and let’s be honest, a lot of plans he was a part of went down the crapper. Some sort of security would be nice.

“We try and stick together but if needed split up and try and meet up in the forest.” She said it so matter of factly that her confidence began to rub off on him. That was soon drained away when he got his first look out on the street they were to enter. Though there were masses of people to blend into, the tell tale sign of multiple Hunters milling around waiting for shift change were all to present.

“Right, if I don’t get shot in the back first.” He muttered more to himself than as an actual response.

Allison ignored him and focused on scanning the crowd for the best time to drift inwards. She put up her black hood in one slick movement and motioned him to do the same. Stiles followed suit as they waited a bit more. Just when he thought they were never going to venture forth, she was tugging him into the fray.

Stiles knew there was a reason he had avoided this path when he had entered the city and it was more than apparent now than ever. 

People were shoving into him without a second glance from all sides. If Allison wasn't keeping a death grip on his arm they would have been separated in a blink of an eye. The smell was overwhelming with this many people compacted together. How this many people could stand each other in such a small space was beyond him. He barely could put up with all the people from his hometown packed together for town meetings.

Allison was displaying her skills as a qualified Hunter as she helped weave their way through the throngs of people. They seemed to glide around her with nary a touch but for him there was no such luck. They ending up straying not five feet away from an alert Hunter and yet they didn’t catch his eye when he swept his gaze over them.

The gate loomed in front of them and soon they were passing through it. Allison waved the guard posted a piece of paper and no questions were asked of them. They kept their pace slow and steady even though both of them buzzed with the energy to break out into a sprint. Allison kept them in check with a steady hand and led him towards one of the side paddocks.

They walked into the back and attempted to look like they belonged there. It seemed to work as the one stable hand working there didn’t give them a second glance as Allison geared up her black horse. It snorted its impatience as she methodically strapped all the straps and latches looking like it wanted to be off as much as they did.

Soon they were leading it outside. Allison hiked herself up on its back with practiced ease. She looked down at him expectantly. He gave her a deadpan look in return.

“Some of us weren’t graced with many chances of riding horses, give me a sec.” He rubbed his hands together before gripping the saddle tightly and pulling himself up a little less elegantly. At least he didn't fall off.

“You did fine now where did you plan to meet up with the Alpha?” She tried to sound serious but came off like she was being sarcastic. 

Stiles wouldn’t put it past her to think he made it all up like some kind of psychosis to protect his mind from the horrors he's had seen. Great now he was questioning himself.

“Over there, a bit into the woods.” He pointed off into the distance where he could see the landmarks that hailed it as being the correct spot. She turned her horse obediently and took off into a gallop. Stiles gripped her tightly to avoid falling off earning him an amused look.

It wasn’t long after they had entered the looming forest that he was telling her to stop.

“Why do you need to get off now?” Allison asked as she watched him do his best to climb off the animal.

“I don’t want you to scare him, you see, he's not totally fond of Hunters. Just let me go a bit ahead and you can follow after.” He walked a bit forward before looking back and added, "At a safe distance."

Allison stared back down at him with a raised eyebrow but shrugged in apparent agreement of the terms. She sat on her saddle and gave him a moment to walk a ways forward before resuming a steady trot. 

Stiles crept forward into the darkening woods and kept his eyes open for any kind of sign. A black mass, red eyes, or something running at him were what he looked for in the mass of trees. He hesitated calling out to the wolf. Fortunately for both him and Allison that soon he saw a familiar sight padding up to him through the trees. 

Stifling a full on grin, he broke into a jog and yelled out a greeting.

“Der-Wolfy!” He caught himself from saying the wolfs supposed true name. He didn't want to compromise anything right now with Allison being here and he wasn't sure how the wolf would react. Probably better to wait until Scott was safe to breach the subject and discuss it with the wolf. 

Wolfy stood patiently for him but was practically vibrating with the urge to dash forward. It probably would have but the invisible barrier prevented that display from taking place. Its impatience grew with each step Stiles took in getting closer.

The second Stiles stepped across the barrier, the wolf was shoving his nose near him. 

Stiles pushed under the searching wet nose to wrap his arms around the wolfs neck to give him a giant hug. The wolf practically crooned under him as Stiles stood there enjoying the somewhat intimate exchange. His hands made soothing motions in the fur and continued to do so even when he pulled away.

“Man did I miss you. This whole alone thing just doesn’t work for me right now. Looks like you didn't like it either did you.” The wolf seemed to agree with a small whuff as it butted his head. The wolf was in the middle of rubbing his head against Stiles body when he suddenly stilled and his fur began to ever so slowly rise. 

A second later Stiles didn't have to guess as to why.

“Stiles, step slowly away from the Alpha.” Allison's voice was steady as any seasoned Hunters would be but there was a slight lilt to it indicating somewhat the level of fear she must be experiencing. "Don't do it suddenly, just step backwards making no sudden movements."

Stiles kept his hands where they were trying to soothe his friend from making any rash decisions. He slowly turned his head to see Allison was currently still on her horse with a bow raised and armed. His eyes widened as the situation suddenly escalated. Keeping his head on straight the best he could, he kept his body between Allison and Wolfy, trying to defuse the scene before it became something worse. 

Wolfy behind him began a low growl that only rose in intensity as Stiles watched Allison tightened her hold on the bow. Her eyes narrowing while her brows furrowed.

“Hey, no, we do not need that right now.” Stiles demanded needing Allison to listen to him like the rational adult he was. To her credit she stilled her hand but gave him a look that said he was crazy. “No you do not get to judge me. I told you he helped me.”

“Stiles, this beast has killed countless men and women. How it hasn’t killed you is beyond me.” She sounded as if she was explaining a simple lesson to a petulant child. 

"What I know right now is that he has saved my ass more times than anyone else. He has earned my respect and trust so please, just for now, let's ignore this fight and go save Scott. I'm sure we will be laughing about this after this is all over."

Allison flinched at that but a second later gave him a curt nod. Her resolve to save Scott outweighing her prejudices. “I can do that. Is it coming with us?”

“Yes, he is.” Stiles stressed the pronoun. It hit him that after he had learned about this mysterious Derek that he had unconsciously started using the proper describer. He had to watch out he didn't let the name slip.

She didn’t shoot him anymore judgmental looks. “Okay then, come on over here and let's get going. We will have to travel through the night if we want to make it time.”

“In time for what?”

“In time to save Scott before they kill him.” She spoke with such certainty and strain it seemed to shake the air. That or it was his lungs seizing up.

“Wait, no, I thought since they captured him they weren’t going to kill him for awhile.” Stiles tried to rationalize gripping Wolfy's fur tightly, his petting stopped. Wolfy nuzzled into him as he stepped in closer never letting his eyes leave the Hunters.

“What do you think they were going to do with the werewolf that ‘stole’ me away, one of the leaders daughter, keep him around for study or tea parties?” Allison bitterly explained putting bow back onto her back with practiced ease.

“I don’t know, I’ve never really known specifics of Hunters politics.” Stiles snapped back and for a moment blaming Allison for the trouble that had befallen them. Wolfy growled thickly in response to his anger.

“This is why we don’t have any more time. We have to go now.” 

Stiles nodded knowing she was ultimately right. He began to step forward when he was practically yanked backwards. He turned the best he could to see Wolfy gripping his hood and attempting to pull him ‘gently’ back away from the Hunter. 

Stiles took a step back from Allison and settled on compromising.

“I’m going to have to follow you.” Stiles explained gesturing at Wolfy.

“You won’t be able to keep up on foot Stiles.” Allison sounded more strained and antsy then before. Even her horse was stomping its foot occasionally.

That was true but just because he was following didn’t mean he was walking. He pulled his hood gently out from the jaw and tenderly reached up to smooth the fur down on the wolfs face.

“What do you say Wolfy, you want to give me another ride?” Stiles asked giving the wolf a grin. The wolf didn’t hesitate to gently lean down to give the young adult just enough vantage to pull himself up which is exactly what he did.

Once he was seated without the hazard of falling off, he turned to see Alison staring at him slightly agape. He couldn’t resist shooting her a cocky grin. Yeah, he was only on the back of a powerful supernatural creature, no big deal.

“What, you don’t see this every day?” Stiles remarked the picture of innocence.

She rolled her eyes and regained her composure in an instance. “C'mon, I know the way. Just have that thing follow after me.”

Her horse began to trot forward picking up speed gradually. Wolfy didn’t need to be told twice as he padded after sending Stiles a look over his shoulder. The wolfs body language radiated ‘what the hell man, I thought we had a two man group thing going on?’

Stiles only shrugged to indicate that it was out of his hands at this point but scratched behind Wolfy's ears in an attempt at appeasement.

Allison’s horse must have been trained vigorously in the art of galloping through the woods because it did so with ease. Wolfy of course had no difficulty in following after if not a bit more gracefully. Allison didn’t say a word to him the rest of the trip and he didn’t attempt to talk to her in return. 

They journeyed all together at a much quicker pace that made Stiles regret never asking the wolf to let him use him as a makeshift mount before. Probably for the best, if they had traveled faster who knows if Allison would have been able to save his ass in Dunsmuir. Better not to even to think about it at this point. 

Would just drive him crazy and he had way too much on his mind already in that category.

Something along the lines of saving his best friend from untimely death with his said friend’s sort of girlfriend just made him a bit off kilter. Not many people can say that thought occupies their mind. It also didn’t help that he was privy now to the information about Wolfy or Derek now really. The name Derek did seem to resonate somewhere inside of him signally that it probably was the Alphas true name. 

He still was having a hard time piecing that together. After Scott was safely in their care he was going to have to have a one on one with this ‘Derek’ and try to figure this all out. He'd probably just stick to Wolfy for now and save himself the brainpower.

That is if they survive whatever Allison was planning for them to do when they reached the fort.

Time passed like the trees on both sides of him until Allison and her horse came to a gentle stop. Wolfy followed suit but his steps were a bit more agitated than the calm mares. Something must be in the air because he kept sniffing the air as if something was on the tip of his nose.

Stiles shot him a look of confusion but the wolf didn’t acknowledge it. Allison dismounted so Stiles followed suit but kept close to his companion. He shot him a look once in a while trying to figure out what the wolf knew that he didn't.

“Through this small patch of woods is the home base of the Hunters, Sonoma. On my way to Dunsmuir I noted that a lot of Hunters were heading back this way. That probably means that ultimately that there are more Hunters located there currently than usual.” Allison explained to him crouching on the dirt and grabbing a stick. With the said stick she began to etch out something.

“Just our luck right?” Stiles added crouching down as well trying to figure out exactly what she was working on.

“It does seem to be screwing us these past few days but I digress. Here-” She stabbed a finger down in the finished dirt drawing which he now figured was the base she had mentioned earlier. “There are four main watch towers, I don’t know if you know but we often have raids on us so they are manned at all times.” 

“Is it even possible to sneak in with all those?" Stiles asked peering around trying to distinguish what the lines were representing.

“I believe it is but I’ve never had to try and sneak into my own home before.” Allison shot back sounding bitter. “I know the lay out and the guard changes so we have a shot.”

“Some chance is better than no chance.” Stiles attempted some optimism meeting Allison's eyes, albeit strained optimism but damnit he was trying.   
Allison seemed to appreciate the sentiment and gave him a small smile. He was struck once again how fortunate it was for him to meet up with her. Maybe with both of them they could do it.

Wolfy paused in his restless sniffing and gave a growl at the proposed plan. Stiles looked over at him and saw clear as day his thoughts on the matter. 

‘You are going to get yourself killed’ was radiating off the wolf not being coy in its displeasure at the idea of Stiles going off by himself.

“I get it man, but this is my friend. He’s right there, right freaking there.” Stiles implored trying get across the importance, “He’s basically my brother.”

Wolfy snorted but the growling stopped. He proceeded to pad over to the two of them and while he still was occasionally sniffing the air, seemed to be focused on the upcoming plan. Stiles gave him a couple of reassuring pats before motioning the confused Allison to continue.

“Right, if you follow my lead, my hope is that we can find Scott in the holding cells and get him out before anyone realizes what happens.” She gestured to another part of the dirt drawing.

“Doesn’t sound too hard.” Stiles mentioned trying to wrap his head completely around what she was proposing.

“Say that again when you get a chance to look at the base.” Allison retorted.

“I don’t know your drawing is like looking at a painting.” Stiles assured her. She raised her eyebrows at that but continued on.

“I do have something for your friend to do though if it’s willing.” Stiles stopped smiling at that glancing involuntarily at Wolfy. 

“What because you know he isn't a part of this. I can't and won’t make him do anything.” Stiles leveled plainly needed to get that fact across. He had way too much respect for the wolf to let him get hurt because of him. The thought of that happening made his guts twist.

“We need him to be the distraction. If he can get the Hunters at the towers to focus on him and not the two of us then entering will be a lot easier and faster with a much higher chance of success. I wouldn’t ask this if I didn’t think it was what we needed especially considering what he will probably do. I do not know how much time Scott has left and the other option could take days.” Allison’s eyes implored to him and surprisingly Wolfy who she glanced at as well. 

Stiles was about to retort back when Wolfy stepped forward and stared directly at Allison who met his gaze with a fervor. Words were exchanged silently until slowly Wolfy gave his reply in a very evident nod.

Stiles shut his mouth and struggled to not put up more of a fight. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to Wolfy especially if it was because of him. That was when he remembered one key fact.

“But around all the other towns and city we visited Wolfy couldn’t get close to them. There was some sort of magical barrier around the whole area.” Stiles tried to explain as Allison gave him a dumbfounded look before it resolved into understanding.

“It’s called mountain ash and we use it to surround places that are at a danger of attacks. It prevents certain supernatural’s from crossing. I guess the Alpha is one of them.” She glanced at Wolfy in curiosity before continuing, “We won’t have to worry about that here. We don’t surround this place with anything due to the fact we bring in so many different creatures for…reasons.”

“Oh, okay.” Stiles muttered feeling like his way out was gone. He felt a bump on his shoulder and without thinking his hand reached up to pat the furry head that was ultimately there. “Thanks bud, just watch yourself out there.”

“Gather yourself together for we are on foot from here. We have to head out now.” Allison instructed tying her horse to a nearby tree and leaving all its gear on. “Hopefully we will be in and out before we know it.”

Stiles hoped so to as he stood up next to Wolfy. Looking into the forest he prepared himself for whatever they were going to face because let’s face it, it probably wasn’t going to be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind words, I truly truly appreciate it.


	11. Chapter 11

The night sky was clear with only the moon and stars for light. Far on the horizon, massive storm clouds were gathering signaling an impending storm. Down below the trees not a sound was heard except the slight rustling of a group passing through.

Stiles could barely see with what little light reached them on the forest below as he crept through the underbrush behind Allison on their way to Sonoma, the Hunters base. The entire time, when he wasn’t avoiding low hanging branches, he could only think how nice it was to be on the attack and not the other way around for once. He of course didn’t voice this feeling. Somehow he felt that it was unneeded at this time.

He and Wolfy followed in Allison’s wake as she led them through the inky woods where he could barely see a foot in front of his own face. Hence the fear of branches. Allison showed no fear of such a reprisal as she expertly worked her way forward. Soon they would be reaching the tree line end as the light ahead was gradually growing brighter.

A steady hand placed on his chest suddenly halted him mid-step. With the little light that was peeping through the branches he was able to see Allison facing towards him and Wolfy. Her expression was unreadable at this time as the shadow from her hood cast over her face leaving him with nothing to go on. 

“This is where we split up.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “The Alpha will have to go do its part while we do our own.”

Wolfy nodded curtly with his massive head and turned to go in one simple movement but was stopped by a hand gripping his fur. 

Stiles hand had come up of its own violation and he peered up at his one ally through all of this. He felt the emotions well up inside him as what felt like beginning of the end was about to hit. Shifting his hands, he gripped the wolf’s head and stared into the hazel eyes he had come to know so well.

He needed to say something just...just in case.

“You listen here. Don’t do anything stupid.” His whispers almost sounded harsh but he had to get the message across. “Don’t do any kind of martyr act and if you think you need to get out then please, get out.”

Wolfy didn’t make a sound. In response he simply brought his head in closer to burrow into Stiles neck and that said it all. 

“That’s all I can ask from you big ole softy.” Stiles punctuated the words with a hug. He gripped the wolf he had come to count as a close friend tightly. He pulled away slowly and gave him one more look that he hoped translated his feeling. The wolf paused as well but a second later it was the Alpha again and was bounding off into the forest to do its part.

Stiles had to resist running after him.

Allison pulled him away from his thoughts with a guiding hand and they were soon off again. The light grew brighter with each step and soon they were walking behind a mere single tree line. Stiles eyes lit upon the much talked about base and was indeed impressed upon seeing it.

The bases four watch towers had huge beacons on them allowing them to illuminate the surrounding area in a focused circle. Allison had explained that the Hunters often had trusted alliance with powerful people with magic who enchanted the items for them. Stiles had kept back his remark on whether it was a coercion or this so called ‘trusted alliance’.

The rest of the base was surrounded by a walled structure, though not nearly as impressive as Dunsmuir, for this base it was still something to revere. On the darkened horizon dark clouds were gathering for an added touch. The wind was blowing towards them making it inevitable that soon the storm would be on them.

Maybe it would make it easier to escape.

As they sat there waiting for their opportunity to come to fruition, Allison took the time to once again go over the plan. It wasn’t like they had much else to do besides stress out so it was a nice distraction, at least, for now. That’s what Stiles tried to tell himself as his heart continued to beat on the faster side in his chest.

“Once the Alpha causes its distraction, the on call Hunter party as well as whoever has any vendetta against the beast will descend out of the base towards wherever it leads them. The rest will be on high alert but for a wolf not for us.” She sounded confident which Stiles appreciated but he wondered how much was a mere façade and how true it really was.

“How long will they chase him?” Stiles asked wanting a time frame of some sort.

“For as long they want. Hopefully they take enough time for us to cross the span of plains to the walls. It could be all night or five minutes, it hard to say on those kind of things.” 

She looked to him and once he nodded for her to continue, “Once we are inside stick close to me and if shit hits the fan…”

She paused searching for words.

“Either run or fight. Not much you can do I suppose when they find we are trying to steal from them.” She admitted looking like it was hard to do for her. 

“Right, good to know.” Stiles felt at a loss. He wished he had the kind of training she had when it came to those things. Magic was more of a theoretical analysis most of the time when it came to his training with Deaton with a less hands on approach. His eyes lit on the darkened horizon feeling a plan start to form.

Allison grabbed his hand and squeezed in a rare display of camaraderie. Stiles supposed if they made it through this he’d have to thank her properly for all that she had done. Before he could find any words though, a loud horn blared out from the direction of the base.

The giant search lights swiveling a focus gaze towards the opposite side of the forest. For a second Stiles could swear he saw a black mass dotted with a pair of red eyes dashing into the woods. 

Good luck you bastard.

Him and Allison were sprinting the next moment across the plains of long grass. The loud horn blared again as what sounded like a large gate opening creaked out. The next moment was punctuated with the rumbling of a large amount of hooves hitting the earth towards their next hunt.

They were halfway across but Stiles could see that the amount of people leaving to go and it was a much larger number than Allison had initially let on. Even with his heart working in overtime, he could estimate over thirty well armed Hunters disappearing into the woods with their well trained steeds.

A prayer of protection was starting in his head before he knew it but he didn’t stop it. 

Soon the grass receded and they were both standing against a well crafted stone wall. They were both breathing a bit harder probably from the stress more so than the actual exercise. Not a moment was wasted on any reprieve as Allison began to walk quickly along the wall glancing around looking for something. 

Stiles followed along keeping his magic brimming on the surface. It was like keeping a cork in a bottle held down just enough that the pressure stayed intact but could be pulled easily out to spray someone.

They stopped when Allison found whatever she was looking for. Without missing a beat she was scrambling up the wall assisted by just a few sharp tools she whipped out of her belt. It was surreal how fast she found the foot holes and took advantage of them. 

Soon she was pulling herself over the lip of the wall and disappeared from sight. Stiles waited in anticipation for her next move feeling terribly exposed fearing that any second a horse would tear its way around a corner and descend upon him with a Hunter on its back. Fortunately he didn’t have to stew long as a worn rope fell down with a whump breaking him from the fears.

Allison’s head peaked over at him as she hastily motioned him to climb up. Stiles took her advice and began his less graceful version of ascending the wall. To be honest he was a bit surprised he had the upper body strength to pull himself up but figured adrenaline was a hell of a drug. It was a lot harder than any tree he had climbed.

It wasn’t long before he was being helped over the edge and pulled along into the shadows. The lights were all still pointed towards the hunt so for the moment the shadows were long and plentiful. It looked like the guards who were originally stationed there had been pulled to the other wall to help.

Multiple buildings were strewn about in the inner complex but kept mostly to the side leaving the center space an ideal zone for training judging by the multitude of training dummies and sparring circles. A largish area dominated the other side with only a pole in the center. He didn’t have much time to ponder as Allison kept them on track to descend into the bases bowels.

The stairs spiraled downward tightly with only a few torches for light. It eerily set the mood as the shadows flickered and not a word was spoken between them. Just the sounds of their footsteps echoing outward disrupted the silence.

They soon reached the bottom where Allison promptly stopped them both in their tracks before leaving the stairwell. She peaked her head out around the corner before creeping forward. They entered a stonewalled hallway that had cell doors lining it at even intervals. 

Stiles began to go forward to find Scott but Allison headed towards a ledger on an unmanned desk. He paused waiting for her to stop him but she made no move to as she hurriedly began to flip through the pages. Seeing it as permission, he slowly walked up the hallway to peer into the cells in hopes of finding his friend.

He kept his steps feather light as he stalked forward like a banshee on the prowl. His eyes searched every cell he passed looking for any signs of life and was surprised that all the ones he looked into were empty. Most were occupied by a single wooden bucket and some hay tossed into the corner though most looked to have been occupied recently.

Hope was draining away from him as soon he reached the end of the tunnel with nothing to show for it. Keeping his cool and not letting panic take control, he rushed back to Allison at the desk with less care on the amount of sound he was creating. There didn’t seem to be anyone down here at the moment and that unsettled him.

What kind of dungeon doesn’t have a guard was what he was thinking. It went against logic though it made sense since there was nothing to guard. That was another question, where did all the prisoners go?

Allison was closing the ledger when he skidded to a stop in front of the desk. She looked irate as a second later she threw the book to the ground. 

“He’s not down here Stiles.” She met his eyes and he could see traces of horror leaking in. “We have to hurry, we might be too late.” 

She started to run towards the staircase urging him forward. The time for stealth was apparently over at the moment. This couldn’t be good. It took a lot to shake her and whatever she had discovered had wormed its way and caused some cracks.

The staircase seemed to last forever even as they took steps two or three at a time in their rush. They burst out the wooden door in record speed as they once again were outside and in the base. Nobody was around but a large amount of sound was being generated in what seemed like the center of the base. 

In the moonlight Allison continued to look livid and Stiles imagined her expression was mirrored on his own face. They were so close and the thought they might have Scott slip through their fingers was unacceptable. It just couldn’t be.

They didn’t run even though the urge could be seen in their steps. The sound grew larger with each move they made. They didn’t head down the pathway that would have them enter into the center in plain view. Instead Allison led him up a convoluted path that had them both soon standing on a roof of a building. 

They crept forward, the anticipation in both of them rising at what they would see, to hide behind a chimney. What they saw made the anger they had felt before pale in comparison. Stiles was surprised he didn’t set the entire vicinity on fire.

A large amount of Hunters in various garb of armor and weapons were gathered around leaving a circle of space in the middle of them. It looked like they were waiting for an event the way the air spoke of jovial spirit. In the center, tied to the pole he saw earlier, was the one person they had searched for so long for, Scott McCall.

Scott had only a pair of ragged pants on leaving his chest and back open to the air. Even from up on the roof Stiles could see long gashes painting his back in different stages of healing. His friend was hunched over with his tied hands together being the only thing supporting him from falling on his face.

It physically hurt to see his lovable friend who never would knowingly hurt someone in such a state of distress. It made him see red as he gripped the chimney tightly to prevent himself from doing something stupid. Even so, it was a close thing.

A long whistle pierced the air causing the crowd to stop their conversations and come to attention. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Allison start the motion to do the same but stopped herself with a look of frustration. Another whistle had them both jerking their head up two see two individuals with armor that looked to be in mint condition and top of the line enter into the center. Stiles didn’t recognize them but from the intake of breath on Allison’s part, he could safely say she did.

“Who are they?” Stiles quickly whispered to her keeping his eyes locked on the two supposed leaders who were currently making their way towards Scott.

“It’s my Dad, Chris Argent and my Aunt, Kate Argent.” Allison answered sounding tight. 

Stiles imagined she had to have a tight reign of her emotions at that moment.

Stiles nodded as he searched the area trying to formulate some kind of plan. If it came down to it he knew he wouldn’t hesitate from jumping down into the fray. He also guess that Allison was probably thinking the same if it came down to the wire. 

“We have gathered here today because of the course of events that have come to pass these weeks.” 

It was Allison’s Dad who was speaking now with an authoritative voice that commanded respect from anyone who was listening. It wasn’t hard to see that he was well loved and respected from the way the Hunters were following his every word. Stiles could see that he was one of those leaders that led by example and earned every bit of respect directed towards him.

Scott began to rouse and his eyes shone amber dimly. He was weakly working to try and get free from his restraints but from the state of his wrists it was something he had been working on for a while with little success. Stiles couldn’t hear it but he knew Scott had to be growling right now from the way his teeth were bared in a display of defiance.

“The Alpha has attacked our stronghold in an attempt to grow its pack with this omega werewolf. Though the Alpha was indeed wounded and retreated we cannot let it regain its strength again to strike us again.”

The man spoke to the men and women as he circled Scott in a broad oval addressing the crowd. Allison’s aunt stood stationary next to Scott with her hood drawn neatly over her head protecting her features from view. The Hunters let out murmurs and the occasional shout of agreement as they began to show their restlessness for the action to begin.

Stiles winced hearing that Wolfy, his friend through all of this and who trusted him, had gotten hurt on his behalf. He could be out their alone and wounded and it was all because of him. If it was possible, his rage was fueled even more by this news.

If after all this, Stiles was still alive he hoped that Wolfy could forgive him. 

“Tonight we must put an end to this creature who has evaded us for so long. It must not be allowed to harm another innocent.” The man spoke to rally the Hunters and it was effective by the way their shouts increased. They demanded what the man was asking for, an end to the beast in front of them. “We must kill it tonight before the Alpha deigns to attack us at our heart again.”

With that declared the leader walked up to Scott. He stopped short a foot in front of him and leered down. 

“Do you have anything you want to say beforehand? Perhaps some sins you want to confess before you meet whatever maker greets your kind on the other side?” His tone had a mocking cadence to it but had an undertone of harshness.

“Just don’t hurt Allison because of this. She had nothing to with any of it.” Scott was practically begging as he pleaded this one last request at the hands of his enemy. He had taken on a submissive pose with the way his eyes had returned to their normal color and his neck was exposed.

Oh no buddy, don’t go with down a fight Stiles pleaded inside. It hurt to see his friend who was such a kind individual who got upset when dogs were lonely and wouldn’t hurt anyone intentionally be brought down so low. 

Stiles couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey assholes!” Stiles shouted as loud as he could. The anger he felt finally given voice.

It wasn’t often that hundreds of eyes turned towards him. Any other time it would have been a very intimidating event but now it just fueled him. All those people wanted to hurt his best friend and there was no way he was going to let that happen without some move on his part.

He caught Scott’s eyes for a brief moment and he tried to send as much confidence out as he could in that brief glance. In return he saw relief and fear fill his friends eyes. He didn’t have to be a genius to know the reason for the mixed emotions.

“Get away from my friend!” His words were punctuated with a coincidental thunderclap. The clouds that seemed miles away were now approaching fast and adding to his speech.

“Step away Dad.” Allison commanded loudly pulling down her hood to reveal her face and hair. She readied her bow and notched her arrow to aim towards the crowd threatening them silently with violence.

“My daughter finally appears. Leave now Allison and I will only kill this beast tonight.” His voice was callous but Stiles imagined that the father must be begging her internally to take this option. No Dad could want to kill their own flesh right?

“Yeah see, the only option tonight is for me, her and Scott to leave together. There is no other offer on the table.” Stiles voice felt oddly steady and cold. Seeing your best friend in such a state would make that happen. 

The wind picked up suddenly sending his cloak whipping around him as another thunderclap rang out. Soon the rain would hit them and the idea that had formed earlier seemed to be coming more and more likely. It was something Deaton had once described to him one day during their lessons. Of course it had been a cautionary tale but he chose to ignore that fact.

He came to the conclusion then and there that he was ready to go all in to save his friend. 

“I hope you know what you are doing.” Allison whispered to him using the winds distraction

“Get ready to grab Scott and get out of here. Leave the diversion to me.” Stiles murmured quietly to back still formulating the plan in his head. 

“You speak grand threats towards a highly trained group boy.” Allison’s Dad accused sounded nonplussed. 

“You clearly don’t remember me. Need a hint?” Stiles pulled down his hood to reveal his face and raised an arm to show his intricate glowing tattoos. “It was me that night that killed all your men.”

The affect was instantaneous once the words left his mouth. The leaders face hardened like stone as fury was etched into its features. Stiles had to give him credit. He obviously cared about every life that was lost in every battle.

That or he took offense that what he viewed as a lowlife, something inferior, took the lives of what he considered highly trained individuals.

“I see you are carousing around with witches now Allison.” The man surmised with a voice that spoke leagues.

Allison glared back but didn’t deign the statement with any sort of response. The standoff had begun. Only the sounding the building wind and the occasional thunder filled the air.

That is, until a howl punctured through.

All the Hunters turned in succession towards where the sound erupted from clearly recognizing it for what it was. Stiles was among them for he knew that howl all to well and it filled him with dread. He was about to tell Allison to go now before it was too late when Wolfy appeared in a flash of lightning on the farthest wall across from him and Allison. 

His eyes were glowing bright and Stiles was struck with the fact that he looked almost identical to the night he first saw him in the woods. Arrows were once again sticking out of its hide and the signs of battle were apparent. He looked to be one second away from jumping into the crowd of hundreds of Hunters and not even at full strength. 

Taking advantage of the distraction and knowing they had to do something quick, Stiles commanded, “Allison, now!”

She took off without another word clearly having some sort of her own plan made out for her to act without hesitation. It was an odd feeling to be the one taking lead but she clearly didn’t question it. They were in this together after all.

Stiles urged Allison to hurry and use the rain to her advantage to get Scott out of here as fast as possible. 

Stiles dashed forward just as he saw Wolfy leap down into the fray. He heard the torrents of rain start behind him signaling that not only was the battle about to begin but the storm was as well. A grim smile came unbidden to his lips as he scaled down the building thanking his years of playing in trees. 

The rain hit as soon as his feet touched the dirt.

Whirling around, he saw the horde of Hunters were now on the move. They were dispersing to what had to be their positions in an emergency as another howl ripped into the night. Over the sound of the torrents of rain now hitting them he heard Allison’s Dad yell out.

“Kill it now men!” The man’s voice was getting louder as his commanding voice rang out.

The rain limited his view but he saw Allison running towards Scott to free him. Stiles himself focused on running towards the sound of battle where Wolfy had to be in the center of. The spark was building inside of him and soon it would be used whether he was ready or not.

He was halfway across the encampment when he saw what had to be Kate Argent step in front of him with her bow raised, an arrow notched. Her cloak was soaked with water but her body language radiated cold fury with an underlying hint of amusement. It was an odd combination that made him feel off kilter.

That didn’t stay for long because his own fury was rising even now.

“I’m surprised you showed your face witch. You obviously don’t know what you have gotten yourself into.” The woman’s voice was eerily calm and controlled, “I had planned to hunt you myself when this werewolf business was taken care of but you have saved me the trouble.”

“That werewolf has done nothing to you. What gives you the right to give out sentences?!” Stiles demanded, the injustice for his friend deserved to be questioned. “You don’t even know him!”

More thunder echoed above.

“I know that he’s a werewolf. Not much more is needed.” At this distance Stiles still couldn’t see any of her features leaving her expression a mystery. 

Stiles was shaking from the wrath he felt about the situation. The time to act was now before his spark boiled completely over. He squeezed his eyes shut to control and focus himself before he unleashed it all. 

Hopefully he wouldn’t burn out in the process.

To his perception, time slowed down as he sank into himself to connect to his spark on a more personal level. To his surprise, next to the pulsating orb of light that was his imagined spark was Wolfy. He didn’t question it surmising it was his subconscious wish to have the wolf next to him. He merely reached a hand out to the wolf instead of the spark and sank into his warm fur.

The next moment he opened his eyes and it was as if no time had passed. Not even a second. The only thing that had changed was him and he was ready.

Kate had an arrow still notched and was advancing on him looking uncannily like Allison did so many times before. It wasn’t hard to guess who had trained her.

Alright Scott, this one is for you.

Stiles let his magic flow in a snap instant and connected it to the storm itself. The story that Deaton had told him of the individuals that had attempted to change the forces of nature itself never ended all that well especially storms. Usually the tale ended with death or worse fates but right now, with his spark thrumming with the joy of existence and the feeling of another soul near him so close, he couldn’t imagine not succeeding.

The woman let an arrow fly a split second before the force of the rain slammed into her. Wind knocked the arrow from its original flight path onto the wet ground leaving Stiles unscathed. The Hunter was nearly thrown from her feet by the force and the onslaught was far from over.

Other Hunters noticed the shift in wind and abandoned their original duties to run towards him. He didn’t even glance as they ran towards him. A gust of wind threw them off their feet into a wall taking care of them for the moment.

“You think you can hurt my friend and get away with it!” Stiles shouted feeling more like an element of nature than human. His magic was draining fast like water in a colander but he had to hold out. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Scott was being untied by Allison but he didn’t know how Wolfy was holding out.

Kate tried to respond but another wave of rain knocked into her. The amount of rain that was being focused on her had to be making it not only hard to keep on her feet but to breathe as well. Stiles was past the point of caring.

“You think you could hurt him and no one would care, I CARE!” Stiles all but screamed as a few lightning bolts struck the highest points of the base. 

“You’re a witch! Of course you would associate with its kind and care.” Kate managed to get as she struggled to push through the countless crashing rain to reach Stiles to cut him down. “If you listened to your human side you would understand-”

“I don’t think you have a human side!” Stiles interrupted. His vision was starting to grow dark as he slammed her with a final blast of water finally sending her reeling off balance. She fell onto her back skidding to a stop. Her weapons sent flying from her hand. 

Stiles had her completely at his mercy and it felt good. The rush of endorphin's of finally having the upper hand was amazing and it scared him. It was something he had never known before.

Stiles found himself shrinking back in revulsion of the sensation making his stomach roil. His magic snapped like a rubber band from the force of suddenly being disconnected from the powerful storm still raging above. It slammed into him leaving him momentarily disoriented.

She was the picture of an apex predator as she grabbed her bow off the ground and aimed it once again. Stiles vision was starting to clear up and for a second he met her eyes under her hood. 

It was clear she thought he was subhuman. 

“Goodnight Stiles.” Her voice sounded like she was soothing an animal right before she put it down. 

His eyes widened at the fact she somehow knew his name. That was, until an arrow punched into him.


	12. Chapter 12

For a moment, Stiles forgot how to breathe as what felt like all the air in his lungs left him. His eyes slowly shifted downward to see the arrow that was now embedded in his leg. It had pierced all the way through his thigh as the blood coated arrowhead greeted him on the underside of his muscle. 

His leg immediately gave out as his muscles refused to hold him up any longer. His uninjured knee slammed into the ground sending water splashing up. He found himself momentarily dazed by the event as the pain took a minute to catch up to him. His adrenaline coursing through his veins shielded him from the brunt of the incoming feeling temporarily leaving him a state of stupor. 

Confusion filled him as to why Kate Argent hadn’t gone for the killing shot as his eyes slowly drifted back upwards. 

Immediately the reason why was made clear. He felt with vivid clarity his heart torn in two different directions. To say it was an unpleasant feeling was the very least of descriptions.

Wolfy had somehow managed to fight or push his way through the waves of Hunters to bowl into Kate Argent. It had to have happened a split second before she had fired the deadly shaft causing her to miss his heart or other vital organ that she was originally aiming for to end his life. 

To his horror, the Hunters hadn't simply abandoned their hunt on the Legend. 

With their swords raised, the bravest confronted Wolfy head on forcing him away from the prone body on the ground. It wasn’t something done easily. Wolfy had a death grip on Kate and was growling voraciously, hackles raised showing ivory sharp canines, with deadened red eyes glaring at all that approached. Multiples swords slashed into his muzzle and sides were delivered sending smoke trails to radiate outwards before someone was able to stab him with a large sword in the flank. The sword remained in his body as he was finally forced away from her, the growling never stopping or changing pitch.

Stiles own wound was quickly being forgotten as he watched this happen in the span of a few seconds. He snapped his attention back to Kate for a moment to see she was now sporting a visceral bite wound on her shoulder. She had been lucky Wolfy hadn’t gotten to her throat.

Kate's hood was now knocked down showing blonde hair tied up into a disarrayed pony tail as well as finally revealing her face. She oddly didn’t look bothered by her current state of affairs as she went to stand unfazed by what had just happened. She instead looked to be highly amused as she watched Wolfy get corralled into a small circle by the Hunters while brushing the wet strands of hair out of her face. 

Stiles looked back to his friend and gritted his teeth. He wasn’t the Wolfy Stiles knew at this moment. 

The only thing that was in front of him was the Alpha and he was furious. He whirled around without stopping, snapping at anyone who got near resulting in his jaws running red with blood. His wounds he had earned bled sluggishly as well blending into his pitch black fur to shine in the torchlight.

The Hunters had fanned out surrounding the beast with weapons raised goading it incessantly to attack. These were key distractions letting the archers at a distance to shoot at it without fear of direct harm. The thunder over head ringing out in conjunction with the fighting.

Arrows pierced the Alphas hide and smoke seemed to radiate out from each successful hit. He was obviously beginning to become confused at the onslaught struggling to find the main cause of his pain. Instincts must be taking precedence leaving any room for cognitive thought thrown out the window.

Stiles had to get up and help, now! This couldn’t be allowed to continue, not if he wanted his heart to stay in one piece. 

He struggled to his feet and immediately went down again as his muscles simply couldn’t tolerate his own weight in the condition they were. He had to get this arrow out if he had any chance of healing the wound enough to walk. His hands gripped the shaft hastily as he glanced again at the pole that held Scott.

Which was empty. 

Allison must have gotten Scott out and hopefully was leading him to safety. Their plan had succeeded leaving only one thing left to do, escape. He couldn't count on their help even if it was coming. 

Only one problem, there was no way he was leaving without Wolfy. This was going to be difficult as here he was unable to even stagger forward with his friend being assaulted on all sides by people who were trained to kill him. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute as the plan in his head started to take place.

That was when he heard Kate begin to speak.

“I see you have finally tracked me down animal.” She walked around the circle of Hunters nonchalantly waving them to stop attacking not even seeming to notice her still bleeding wound. “I bet you would love to just kill me now wouldn’t you? To see me on the ground dead but guess what, that's never going to happen.”

A vicious snarl erupted out from the Alpha as he looked ready charge through the Hunters in a mighty attempt to reach her. His fur was bristling violently as his claws scratched furrows into the ground as he paced. He truly was the embodiment of the Legend at that moment as the storm continued to clash overhead. Only the flashes of lightning truly showed him in all his glory.

Stiles had to get to him before something changed. He gripped the shaft near the feather and prepared himself. Breathing out just once to steady his hands, he broke the arrow in the next breath. Pain finally shot through his muscle but it was next to nothing his heart was feeling seeing his friend being essentially tortured in front of him.

“Did you really think you could do it?” Kate’s words were laced with poisonous intent as she continued to circle around the wolf. “You can’t even manage to die right.” 

Stiles pulled the shaft through his muscle praying it didn’t hit any major arteries. If it did, he would only have seconds to manage the concentration to heal it before he bled out. The broken arrow was thrown to the side with a clatter as his hands grasped his leg as blood sluggishly gushed out with every heartbeat. 

The pain sent shockwave like spasms through him as his muscle clenched involuntarily around the new hole. He did his best to knit the flesh it up with what he had left of his spark as he stumbled to his feet. His anger was disappearing as the rain continued to wash over him leaving only fear in its wake as the situation seemed to grow ever worse. 

The possibility of saving one friend and losing another in return was all consuming at the moment.

Stiles staggered forward, determination lacing his features. His eyes were set on Kate determined to stop her speaking so he could break through to the Alpha and get him out of here. Neither of them was dying tonight. 

Not if he could help it.

He finished with his leg the best he could noticing that his spark was almost tapped out but he figured he could work with it. His tattoos still had some juice left in them as well. With that knowledge instilled in him, he tried to reconnect with the storm above one last time. He just hoped it wouldn’t be the last of him.

“Wolfy!” Stiles yelled above the noise of the storm hoping that the name he gave to the wolf could break him from his fury. “Don’t listen to her!”

Kate Argent was the one that deigned to look his way. Her wet hair whipped around as she turned to him sending him an almost amused look. He did his best to send her a hate filled glare as his spark did it’s best to take back control of the wind and rain surrounding them.

“You aren’t dead yet? Look honey I have bigger fish to fry then some half dead witch.” Kate remarked mockingly with a harsh light filling her eyes. 

She took a few steps towards him with her bow hanging casually at her side. He didn’t doubt for an instance that she would and could bring that up and fire five arrows into him before he could blink. His own steps stilled as he struggled to bring his fury back and push away the fear of his own death. He would be useless to Wolfy if he died now.

Stiles took his eyes off her for a second to see that Wolfy was still surrounded by the Hunters with his eyes locked on Kate even as it was surrounded by deadly Hunters. There was no time to wonder why he was so intent on killing her. All there was time for was getting out of here before they met death itself.

“Wolfy, you got to get out of here!” Stiles tried yelling again now keeping his eyes on the predator that was watching him.

“You’re scared boy, it’s okay to admit it.” Kate said eyeing him like he was a mere scared fox. “Just run now, I’ll find you eventually or I suppose I could simply end you now. It makes no difference to me.” 

“Wolfy!” Stiles shouted, his voice starting to sound strained, trying to illicit any kind of response. So far he hadn’t even gotten his friend to look his way, not even an ear twitch.

“Now this is something I really can’t stand for. I am having a conversation and you aren’t even listening.” She brought her bow up and slowly notched an arrow as she calmly stated this fact.

Stiles eyes were locked on that arrow knowing all too well how it would feel soon cutting into him. Guess it was finally time for his last ditch move. If it didn't, his fate was probably sealed.

“DEREK!” The name left his mouth like it was being ripped from him. 

The Alpha finally turned to him, the blazing red eyes dimming to hazel and damnit if that wasn't the best sight all night. The storm around him connected to his spark and it felt like it was his turn to make some sort of move to free his friend as everything clicked into place. 

That is, until it was wrenched from him.

Strong hands closed over his wind pipe to the point no air was going to get through. Stiles instinctively grabbed at them trying to pull them off to get the needed oxygen to his brain as cold eyes stared into his. He managed to loosen them enough to get a breath out and to connect the fact that it was Kate Argent staring at him not a foot away with cold eyes that looked to be out for blood.

“Where did you learn that name?” Each word was said with clear distinction that even his oxygen deprived mind could understand it.

Before he could even think of any kind of response, the hands dropped away with a shrill scream punctuating the air. Stiles stumbled backwards, his steps splashing up with rain, as he breathed heavily through his bruised windpipe.

His eyes focused on the fact that Kate Argent was now on the ground bleeding even more and clasping her side. He couldn’t see where it was originating from with how the world was off kilter currently but he could hear the incoming sound of battle. The Hunters must have turned their attention to him.

A furry face was shoved into his as Wolfy nipped at him trying to get something across that Stiles was having a hard time interpreting. A whine leaked out from the wolf shaking some kind of sense into him. The thought they had to get out of this base before the men and women with pointy weapons reached them was currently paramount.

Somehow Stiles was able to pull himself onto the wolf’s back and get a good enough grip on the fur. He wanted to urge the wolf onwards but Wolfy merely stared down at the men rushing towards him with a steady stance. Just when it seemed they were both going to be cut down by the tides of weapons the wolf bounded forward with a giant leap leaving Kate Argent bleeding on the wet ground without a second glance.

A few lucky slashed were achieved and Stiles felt the wolf wince but his stride didn’t once break as he dashed forward towards the gates. Horror sank into him as he watched the gates begin to close as the Hunters realized the Alphas new intent. He couldn’t let it end like this, not now that he finally had gotten through to the wolf and they were on their way out.

Tapping into his sparks reserves he thrust out a hand and stilled the gates for as long as he could. Wolfy sped up, having noticed it himself doing his best to dodge the incoming fire of arrows and bolts from above and below. Even with his magic the gates continued to inch towards one another, just a little slower now.

Letting out a snarl of frustration, Wolfy managed to pull off a burst of speed and they cleared the gate with nary an inch to spare. 

Stiles slumped forward on the wolf’s hide as the magic was snapped loose and he was free from its hold and draining tendency. He felt almost manic as the relief flooded into him as they ran into the wind and rain free of the terrifying walls of Sonoma. That relief quickly fled him as the searchlights were turned on them.

Stiles turned his head towards the base, the wind tearing into his hood and hair flying both backwards, to see a massive crowd of Hunters on horses galloping towards them through the now open gate. His eyes widened involuntarily feeling the panic mount once again. It was like something out of a horror story.

His spark was about tapped out and Wolfy was who knows how injured. The terrifying thought of they might not make it was growing stronger and stronger as the hoof beats grew louder in tandem with his fear. No, he couldn’t think like that right now. One of them had to at least survive tonight. It couldn't all be for nothing

“We gotta lose them!” Stiles shouted over the roaring wind, “There is no way we can take them right now!”

Wolfy couldn’t respond in the usual way being as he was sprinting and Stiles was clutching close to the fur. It didn't matter though because soon the giant paws had sprinted across the distance and dashed between the trees. The shadows enveloped them as the brush consumed them both and with it some level of safety.

To Stiles eyes, he could see nothing in the darkness. Even the moon could no longer provide any light with the clouds and thick trees covering any light it might have provided. All he could do was feel the wind and rain pelt against him as he heard the sound of thunder overlaid with the hunt crash overhead and behind him. Helpless, he gripped tightly onto the wolf’s fur and focused on the sheer act of not falling off and being trampled by the horses tailing them.

The wolf dug its claws into the dirt with each succession of contact on the ground to gain more traction. Whenever he had a chance, he seemed to choose the most convoluted path through the trees in an attempt to disengage with the Hunters. The hoof beats behind them grew quieter but a few must have managed to keep up. Those few horses must have been the best of the best to manage to keep up.

Despite Wolfy's best effort, they were catching up.

Stiles opened his eyes to see a horse coming at them from the side with an armored man on its back wielding an impressive looking sword. The only reason Stiles was able to even see the man was the lantern that was hung from the horse’s side that was swaying with each hoofbeat. As he came at them, the sword glinting with the rain splashing off of it, Stiles tried to warn the wolf as well as bring up a hand to defend himself but it was in vain. 

All that saved his arms from being sliced clean off was a slight dip in land causing the horse to change its course by just an inch. The sword smacked his body with its broadside instead of the sharpened edge but it was enough. His grip was wrenched loose and he went air born. It was as if time slowed down as he saw his hands grasp at air and the angry look of the hunter as he reined his horse back on course. Time regained its normal speed as he smacked into a tree effectively ending his flight. As the air left his lungs, the ground soon met him as head cracked into it making for a nice hello.

The phrase 'seeing stars' had never made sense until the light flashed violently before his eyes with each consecutive hit.

He couldn’t even let out a noise outside a small whimper as nausea and bile roiled in his stomach as all his senses slammed back into him at once. While he pathetically curled up into himself as the broken ribs made themselves known, Wolfy had skidded to a stop and dashed back to him. Stiles couldn't even manage to get a word out. He opened his eyes and all he saw was a blur of shapes as he struggled not to hyperventilate.

He felt the presence of a wet nose pass over his body as the strong sound of anxious sniffing filled his ear as concern radiated off of the wolf. Stiles watched through his struggling blurry vision as the wolfs ears twisted leading him to stand over Stiles protectively. His fur raised up slowly without any sound as the few Hunters that had managed to keep up surrounded them, weapons raised in a clear threatening display. 

This couldn’t be happening. 

“Go! Yo-you gotta go.” Stiles managed to somehow croak out scrabbling at the ground to look up through stinging eyes at his dear friend that refused to budge. His friend that was broken and bleeding already so much but somehow still standing. His friend that was seemingly willing to die for something as pathetic as him. 

Wolfy let his tail wag a single time as he glanced down at Stiles for what seemed to last forever. Stiles eyes wide as pure horror reverberated through them while Wolfy's own held merely calmness. Stiles began to whisper no over and over again but nothing changed.

Nothing fucking changed.

The Hunters didn’t wait any longer. They attacked with the suddenness of pit of vipers and from all sides. Wolfy whirled around the best he could in the limited space he had to keep the weapons and danger away from Stiles whose world was still swirling. 

It happened so fast that Stiles didn’t even have a chance to try anything to help. It was all sound, flickering light, and pain as each breath seemed to hurt more and the blood pounded in his head as some trailed down his face from an unknown wound. The battle raged around his prone form and he knew at any moment his end could come.

And then, all was still, more so than it had any right to be.

Stiles opened his eyes to see from the dim light provided by the fallen lanterns a ravaged battleground with no clear victors. While it had seemed to last only a few second the signs signified it had been much longer with each body of a dead Hunter strewn about across the forest floor. Each body in the dimness sporting some kind of fatal wound signifying their demise. The horses were nowhere to be seen.

And Wolfy, oh Wolfy, was slumped by a tree a ways away breathing shallowly and rapidly.

“Oh god, no.” Stiles whimpered feeling his gut drop.

He pulled himself forward along the ground, not able to stand with his ribs and dizziness still coursing through him. The only care pulsing through him in that moment was reaching his friend one way or another. His elbows dug into the wet ground as the rain poured down not caring the least about the sight down below.

His muscles ached when he finally reached the wolf. When Stiles saw the state the wolf was in, he wanted to throw up. Multiple lacerations dotted the wolf’s hide and bled profusely with the rain washing down upon him. Not to mention the arrows that still were piercing him in multiple parts moving up and down with each breath. 

How he was still alive was a wonder in itself. Stiles had seen the wolf heal itself of small and large wounds but something wasn't right. Nothing was healing and even if it had been there was too much.

“Wolfy no. Why did you do this?” Stiles demanded pulling himself up into a sitting position cradling his ribs and struggling to hold back the bile. “I don't deserve any of this."

Stiles head fell forward in a moment of weakness and despair. A crooning whimper reached his eyes snapping them back open to see the now open eyes looking into his. A tongue lulled out from the wolf’s mouth as he breathed in rapidly. If it was meant to be a comforting look it failed.

Stiles eyes sharpened as a stern resolve filled him. He watched the eyes drift shut again but they would reopen. They would if he had any damn thing to say about it.

“You are not going to die you hear me?” Stiles muttered wrenching his travel weary cloak off his back and pressing it into the wolf’s major wounds near his stomach. 

The dark green soon turned blood red as it soaked up the wolf’s lifeblood. Stiles response was to push it in harder needed it to be staunched. His own wounds cried out as his own blood dripped into his eyes and on to the cloak, wanting to be attended to but he was passed caring. This wasn’t about him anymore, it never was from the start.

“I will NOT let you die!” Stiles said, his voice not shaking anymore. His vision was focusing on the only thing that mattered.

His spark was brought forth with a vengeance even with his concentration off kilter that outmatched what he felt at Sonoma. His burst of emotions fueled the initial wave but there wasn't much left in the tank to use if any. There was no feasible way of healing the wolf completely, that is, if he wanted to live.

The magic flowed forth in green waves and arcs soaring out from his hands and body to touch the wounds. They staunched the blood flow and knit the wounded flesh back together leaving it as it had been before . Arrows were pushed out as well as an inky substance that looked like oil as the green energy dissipated. 

Even as Stiles worked tirelessly, his own soul crying out for some sort of relief, he feared that the wolf may be too far gone. His spark had been drained and as his own energy was being utilized to keep the healing up at the rate he was going. Feeling the end of his tank coming near, Stiles whispered to the wolf.

“Derek.”

It was odd to use the name but it felt right to address the werewolf for who he truly was. There might not be time for that later on. This might be his only chance. Stiles slumped forward a moment before recovering and staying upright. He saw the wolf open his eyes just a crack. Stiles smiled weakly down at him as the air was filled with the ethereal light of his healing.

“Yeah I know your name. Have for a while but I didn’t want to scare you.” His voice sounded slurred, like he was drunk despite his best efforts. “I just want you to know I don’t regret what I’m doing. Never will because this shouldn’t have happened to you. I was the one who dragged you along in this mission and I’m going to drag you back out no matter what.”

The more he talked, the more Derek's eyes opened and his breathing evened out.

The light was stuttering now and if Stiles could see himself, he would have seen a pained young adult who was deathly pale with dark circles under their eyes. While he couldn’t see that, he knew he was close to something snapping. His sparks silence was deafening but he supposed it was fitting, to leave the world how his Mom had.

Hell, maybe she would be proud.

“You helped me so much, and now it’s my turn to save you.” Stiles ended up whispering as the strength in his words left him. “Derek, you deserve to keep going. Just, if you can…try and find my Dad and tell him what happened. He deserves to know why his son didn’t come home.”

Stiles laughed involuntarily.

“Hell, what am I thinking? It’s not like you can talk.”

The green tendrils of magic sluggishly receded as Stiles himself did the same. His body slumped sideways into the mud as his heart struggled to keep pumping. His breath came slower with each second.

Would anyone ever find his body he wondered or would Scott and Allison tell his Dad he had died by the Hunters. Maybe Allison would blame Derek, he hoped not. Would suck to give his life to someone to only have them be hated more.

Stiles stared up at the rain pelting down at him and reached for warm fur to comfort him in his last seconds. His hand felt nothing but mud with his searching leaving him alone. He should feel disappointed that Derek didn’t stick around but all he could feel was glad. 

Glad his friend had been healed enough to get away from the Hunters that had to be on their trail even now.

He closed his eyes for a mere moment and soon felt as if he was being cradled close to someone’s warm body. So this was how dying felt like, wasn’t so bad. He reopened his eyes hoping to catch one last glimpse of the sky before he left but instead he saw a terrified face staring down at him.

Death was apparently a rather rough man with harsh stubble and black hair sodden with rain. Not bad looking actually, Stiles could work with that and showed it with a small smile that had to be a bit lopsided. He hoped it would carry him the rest of the way to the afterlife, he didn’t think he had it in him to stand anymore.

“Keep your eyes on me Stiles.” Death said reaching a hand up to cradle his face with a strained voice that sounded hoarse. It must not have a chance to talk that much, “Don’t close them.”

Deaths hand felt warm so he turned into it suddenly realizing how cold he felt. Shivers started slow but began to rack his body. He thought bitterly about how you were supposed to feel a soothing warmth when you died. Deaton lied to him.

“Stiles, can you look at me?” Death sounded frightened which struck him as strange. 

Stiles realized his eyes had slipped close again so he opened them to try and soothe who was talking. He met the eyes staring down at him and blearily realized they were hazel. He wanted to mention why it was strange but his mouth didn’t want to cooperate.

“Shhh, it’s alright. I got you now. Just don’t do anything else stupid.” The voice sounded more in control now which was good. He didn't really want a manic death leading him to where he was supposed to be for eternity. That would suck.

He felt a solid presence sweep across his forehead and saw it was Deaths hand. It had something red on it and it seemed to make it angry as it stared at it. 

Death pulled his gaze away and looked fervently around the surrounding area. Probably was trying to figure out the best way to the afterlife. Stiles chuckled lightly and stopped as soon as he began as sharp pain rang out in his ribs. That earned him a sharp look from Death but Stiles couldn’t seem to care as he snuggled in closer to the warmth.

God that felt nice but man was this dying thing taking a lot longer than he thought. If anything, the world was becoming sharper instead of the blurry mess it had recently become. He couldn’t complain though, it wasn’t like he had experienced death first hand before.

Soon the world was shifting as he was pulled up with Death, still cradled in its arm, as it went to stand. Probably was about to take him to the other side, wherever that was. He hoped it was as nice as Deaton had described.

“Keep quiet okay. I’m going to get us out of here.” The low voice was comforting even with how coarse it sounded and Stiles found himself nodding along.

He hoped he saw his Mom soon.


	13. Chapter 13

"What were you even thinking Stiles?" The man muttered still cradling Stiles in his arm close to his bare chest. 

Stiles was finding it rather difficult to come to grips on what exactly was going on. His head was currently pounding like crazy in steady pulses and each breath he took felt like daggers repeatedly digging into his chest. With both these aches and pains taking up the majority of his attention it was hard to focus on the whats, whos and wheres of the situation. 

He at least had managed to figure out it wasn't Death or the Reaper itself carrying him anymore. That had been embarrassing with how he acted at the time. Slowly but steadily his mind was clearing up from what had felt like a near death experience. The fact that he was still alive made him unsure of what exactly had happened. 

So here he was being carried by an unknown man unclear on a lot and trying to figure it all out. Maybe he would have been able to if the man would just shut up. 

Constantly, as he was carried through the woods, the man talked to him alternating between berating him for what he had done for the Alpha and speaking comforting lies to him. It was an odd disconnect between the two topics and it didn’t help that the man’s identity was still a mystery. The more the man talked, the more it seemed the man was trying to reassure himself more than Stiles.

Stiles brain lazily connected that the first thing that needed to be accomplished was the mans identity. At the time he healed Derek the only people that had been around were Hunters, what had seemed like dead Hunters. Crap, could this man have been a Hunter that hadn’t been fully dispatched or someone who had come up on him later.

Maybe the Alpha hadn't managed to kill them all and this man was bringing him back to Sonoma. 

For a gut plummeting, hot sweats moment it all clicked. It all made sense. That man carrying had to be a Hunter that was using him a secondary prize after Derek had gotten away. What better way to earn some appeasement from your leader and fellow Hunters than the witched that ‘killed’ their men and here he was just letting it happen.

Well fuck that.

His deadened fear flared back in all its glory. Somehow he had gotten out of the frying pan and now was in the building fire once again. He had to get away from this stranger and now. No way was he going down without some sort of fight. 

He vaguely missed the sensation of not caring.

Despite the pain that flashed up, Stiles began to struggle valiantly against the hold on him. Twisting and turning like a fish out of water, he tried his best to wriggle out of the man’s grasp using the element of surprise. The supposed Hunter’s grip tightened suddenly as confusion and panic crossed his face. 

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing?" The man demanded sounding startled. He seemed to be trying to keep a hold of Stiles while at the same time appeared to be afraid of hurting him further. 

That was odd to say the least. 

The thought that the better condition he was in, the better the reward crossed Stiles mind as to why the man seemed to care. It was hard to rationalize but he figured he probably didn’t want the new trophy to be too banged up. Especially if there was torture in that things future.

"Let go of me." Stiles squeezed out sounding way to pathetic for his liking. Still, he did manage to finally get his mouth working. Better than nothing at this point.

"I will, just let me,-" The man dodged a wayward elbow that almost knocked into his chin, "Stop! I'm going to put you down, just, give me a second before you hurt yourself more." 

True to his word, Stiles was placed/dropped in a relatively dry nook by a large tree. Stiles initial plan was to take off running but apparently his body decided that was not in the picture that night. He tried to pull himself up using the tree but the crushing agony that came from his chest and head sent him slipping back to the ground wheezing on his rapid expiration's. 

In the back of his head somewhere he connected that while he had been in the man’s arm the pain hadn’t been this intense. Wasn’t that just the bee’s freaking knees. 

“Keep still.” The man commanded, “You probably have some broken bones and maybe a concussion.” 

The man’s voice, while hoarse and rough, sounded as if it was attempting to be soothing on some level as he barked out those sentences. 

It entered the fray making Stiles glance up sharply. He did his best to tip his head forward and glare vehemently at the man that probably had stuck a sword in Derek. Thinking fast, he figured his best chance of making it out alive in some capacity would be to make the man think he still had some spark left in the tank. This was a glaring lie but the man didn’t need to know that.

The Hunter looked like he wanted to walk up to him but Stiles scooted backwards into the tree. The man stopped in his tracks with his hands raised up in the generalized symbol of meaning no harm. From an outside perspective it probably looked like someone trying to settle down a spooked animal but Stiles wasn’t one to be fooled.

Stiles looked the man over and saw he was only wearing dark pants, Stiles backpack slung over one shoulder, no shoes and no shirt. He looked to be well built as any respected Hunter would be but he held no obvious weapons. If anything he looked like a concerned person standing in the rain with wide eyes tracking Stiles every movement. 

Stiles thought he might have a chance.

“I can help with the pain Stiles.” The man offered as he tried to take a small step forward but was stopped again.

“Stay away from me!” Stiles snapped out trying to figure out how to put his plan into action. The man had no traditional weapons but he knew that he could probably easily overpower him if he got a hold of him again. “Just leave me alone and I won’t have to bother killing you.”

The thought crossed his mind to yell out for Derek’s help but that was quickly dismissed. He didn’t need to be saved anymore especially by someone he had almost gotten killed. He had no right to ask him that.

“If I do that you will die out here.” The man seemed to be trying to control the situation, “Just let me explain.” 

Another step forward, soon the man would be in reaching distance again.

Stiles pulled his long forgotten dagger out of his boot and brandished it a bit wildly. He didn’t have the best stance of wielding it when he was healthy so when he was battered and broken it was more of an empty threat than anything. It did make the man stop mid-step again though so that was something. 

“I will use this. Just go back to your people and I’ll go back to mine.” Stiles was surprised by the flash of hurt that came over the man’s face before it was replaced with determination.

“Stiles, just stop, you don’t understand.” The man sounded almost like he was pleading with him now. 

This wasn’t going how Stiles had anticipated and it was throwing him off.

“Explain what? What, are you trying to use me as bait, is that it? I won’t help you kill him.” That sudden thought terrified him and he was glad he didn’t go with his first instinct and yell out for Derek. 

Confusion mottled the man’s face in response to that statement. Crap on a stick, did he just give the man an idea on what to do with him. This was going from bad to worse. 

“Shit, do you not know who I am?” The man asked finally coming to some kind of conclusion about why Stiles was acting the way he was. 

“I know that you tried to kill me and the Alpha with all your buddies. That’s all I need to know right now.” Stiles tried to sound like a pit viper about to strike. It was all a hollow threat though. He was more like a limp noodle than any kind of deadly animal.

This was the first time he actually kind of hoped the Darach would show up. She said she was going to be watching him. He didn’t even care if she killed him as long as he wasn’t taken back to the welcoming arms of Sonoma. He had enough of that place for a lifetime.

“It’s me Stiles, Wo-Derek.” The man stated slowly with just the minimal stuttering gesturing to himself. 

You could have heard a pin drop on the ground after that line was delivered even with the mud as soft as it was. Stiles knew his mouth had to be agape and his eyes wide. He struggled to comprehend this new found information with some kind of grace. 

He knew that Derek was the werewolf he had traveled with this entire time but how he could be suddenly a human now didn’t make sense. He had assumed that he was stuck that way after all the legend never said anything about a human side. What had Jennifer told him specifically, something about being doomed to travel the world as a beast until something happened but damnit what was the thing. 

Then a thought struck him.

“How do I know you are telling me the truth?” Stiles demanded coldly narrowing his eyes. He tried to once again to stand on two feet. If this went sideways he wanted to be able to at least fall to the side out of the ways of an attack and then attempt to crawl away. The man looked to be still trying to find a way to approach him after all.

God what was he thinking, he was so screwed. 

“Wait, what? Why the hell would I be lying.” The so called Derek looked affronted at that question. 

“I don’t know because you want to kill me? How am I supposed to know you aren’t just bluffing? You could have heard me say that name earlier and now trying to get me to lower my guard.” Stiles was angry and it showed as he questioned the man’s sincerity. “For all I know you are lying to me right now. The only way you have a chance in Hell of me believing you would be if you told me something only he would know.” 

If this man could tell him something only the former Wolfy then maybe, just maybe, he would consider the possibility of this being true. 

“You have the spark.” The man said matter of fact. 

“Nope, no dice, I showed I did at Sonoma.” Stiles shot back almost fully upright now and breathing heavier. His dagger was still clutched his hand ready for any measly attempt he might have. 

The man looked frustrated as he looked to be holding back on rolling his eyes. Huh, well that was familiar.

“You want me to tell you the whole story while you bleed out?” ‘Derek’ sounded angry now mirroring Stiles. “Fine, you are from Beacon Hills. Your Dad is the sheriff there. You and Scott separated after he was an idiot and tried to declare his love for a Hunter, Allison who helped us try to break said Scott out of Sonoma.” The man rattled this off so clearly Stiles felt himself waver.

He couldn’t help but have a nugget of doubt form but he wasn’t relenting in his mistrust. For all he knew, the Hunters had figured this all out beforehand when they inevitably investigated Beacon Hills. He needed to know for sure before he invested in any kind of trust and let his guard down.

“You could have found that out from somewhere else.” Stiles offered weakly still in denial.

“Damnit Stiles, look at me!” The man insisted suddenly.

Stiles complied with the man’s pleas and there was the proof right in front of him. 

Standing before him was Derek, the Alpha, with red eyes shining brightly in the rain. He stood proud and embodied the spirit of the Alpha in human form. With that before him there was no way Stiles had any denial left in him. Something internal clicked within him and shouted that this was his friend, this was his Derek.

“Oh shit.” Stiles stated simply realizing all at once what this meant. 

This time when Derek walked over to him Stiles didn’t stop him or shy away. All he could do was stare at him in wonder. Somehow the wolf he had been traveling with was this person in front of him.

It was like thinking it was summer while it was snowing out. 

“You also called me Wolfy.” Derek added with a small strained smile leaking through his tough Alpha exterior, his eyes now their normal comforting hazel. The sudden flare of anger seemed to be leaking away to replaced with relief.

“I also called you Wolfy.” Stiles replied back feeling embarrassed. 

He dropped the dagger to the ground and covered his eyes with his palms. The reprieve and multiple other factors were starting to feel a tad overwhelming. All the adrenaline was leaving him in one fell swoop which left his body to deal with the oh so fun aftermath. 

Strong hands touched his shoulders lightly, almost hesitantly, before coming to settle gently on them fully. The weight alone was a steady present which helped his heartbeat from becoming more rapid. The pain that was in his chest and head began to leak away once again. 

“It’s okay Stiles.” Derek said sounding as if he was trying his best to calm Stiles down. 

Unfortunately, Stiles wasn’t really in the state to calm down easily. 

“It’s really not.” Stiles muttered back sounding just a bit hysterical. 

He didn’t know what to do with this information that had been suddenly thrust on him. He could handle a lot of things but this was leagues ahead of anything that was ever presented to him. His heads pounding was at least beginning to alleviate somewhat allowing some coherent thoughts through. 

His hands slipped from his face to stare into the hazel eyes that remained the same throughout everything. Derek was kneeling before him staring at him with a look that was unreadable but one thing was clear. 

He cared about him.

If Stiles felt something twist in his stomach he ignored it.

“I’m really sorry about that by the way. It wasn’t really appropriate.” Stiles murmured ripping his gaze away to stare down at the ground. The heavy gaze was making him uncomfortable. It was something he hadn’t earned let alone deserved after the stunt he pulled.

“What wasn’t?” Derek asked still gripping Stiles shoulders.

“Calling you that, it was demeaning and wrong.” Stiles said feeling his face flush from all the memories they had together. So many times he had just thought Derek was an intelligent wolf. 

“You didn’t know my name and besides, I didn’t mind it.” Derek interjected trying to regain Stiles eye contact by dipping his head. When he didn’t get it, he let out a sigh that was so soft Stiles almost didn’t catch it. 

Stiles looked up to see Derek was now looking around into the woods with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. 

“Have they caught up with us?” Stiles whispered looking as much as he could into the darkened spaces between the trees. To him he didn’t see anything but his senses were nothing compared to a werewolf’s. 

“No, but they are close enough to make me worried. We need to head out.” Derek looked at him with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. “I’ll have to carry you, are you okay with that?”

“As much as it hurts my pride it’s probably for the best.” Stiles admitted trying to keep his tone light even with his heart beginning to beat faster. He didn’t see Derek’s eyes soften as he went to try and stand up grateful that whatever Derek had done allowed him to do it a tad more graceful that his previous attempt.

“Here, can you manage holding on to my back?” Derek asked quietly still glancing every once in a while around the surrounding area.

“Yeah, I can do that.” Stiles agreed holding his ribs tightly and slinging the other ones around Derek’s neck and shoulder. As Derek stood up straighter his knees tightened up on the man’s hips. Breathing deeply in a rhythmic pattern, he found himself imitating the pattern women in labor used to get through the pain. 

“This is really weird.” Stiles remarked quietly as Derek hooked his arms under Stiles legs and began to walk at a steady pace through the woods.

Their best hope to try and evade the Hunters no doubt out for their blood was probably to go the way that horses couldn’t. Even then it would be a close thing and Stiles didn’t envy Derek position. Unfortunately, Stiles knew that the in the condition he was in, there was next to nothing he could do and that stung.

Derek didn’t respond verbally but Stiles could practically feel the long held eye roll emanate off of him.

At least some things never change. 

“I guess I really can’t say that seeing as this isn’t the first time we have done this.” Stiles continued on leaning more heavily against Derek as the whispers were stuttered out. “You just were a lot furrier those previous times.”

Whatever Derek was doing was making him feely drowsy. The pain was sluggishly fading away but it also felt like it was pulling him down with it. Stiles was tempted to tell Derek to knock it off.

Stiles yawned involuntarily even after trying to stifle it. The exhaustion combined with the pain killers was catching up to him fast and with Derek not responding to him, he allowed himself to drift off just a bit. All he needed was five minutes, that’s all.

The last thing he heard was Derek saying softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll wake you if anything happens.”


	14. Chapter 14

Stiles jerked awake from the nightmare that had just enveloped him. He winced slightly from the soreness in his chest that made itself known from the sudden movement. 

The sight of his Dad being killed mercilessly by Hunters played in a loop in his head despite him screwing his eyes shut and trying to stamp it out. 

His head snapped up when a hand gripped his shoulder suddenly jerking him from his thoughts. A concerned face met his and it took him a second to realize who it was. When he did, he felt himself begin to relax. 

Derek didn’t ask him if anything was wrong. He simply sat there with Stiles in the moment and let him catch his breath. Slowly his heartbeat returned to its normal rate and pattern.

“Thanks, uh where are we?” Stiles asked hoarsely as the hand slipped from his shoulder leaving him feeling oddly colder than it ought to have. “I guess I slept a bit longer than I thought.”

He looked around their surrounding area and saw they were sitting in a small nook side by side with a bit of an overhead. It protected them from the worst of the elements as the rain still continued to come down lightly. The sun was out now, peaking through the clouds, giving the hope it would relent soon.

The temperature felt like it was in the lower temps, the winter would be upon them soon. 

“The forest.” Derek answered frankly. 

Had that been a joke?

“Okay, where exactly in the forest?” Stiles returned sarcastically glancing at Derek out of the corner of his eye.

“We’re somewhere near Dunsmuir I think. My main focus was losing the Hunters on our trail.” Derek finally answered, eyes still trained on the outlying forest. His tone spoke of weariness as did the dark circles under his eyes.

Stiles took the moment to look at Derek with the benefit of the sunlight on his side. Last night the darkness didn’t really afford him much. The memories even had a bit of a hazy quality to them.

The most obvious fact was Derek was extremely good looking, there was no denying it. It had been easier to ignore when he had felt close to dying but now it was here in his face and it was hard to overlook. Now was not the time to go there. 

Not like there was a chance anyway.

His hair was short and very dark in color looking as if it had been styled by the rain instead of ruined. Did werewolf powers extend to their hair because if so the benefits kept on rising. He had aggressive stubble as well that was nearing the point of being a beard if it continued to grow. The rest of his features looked to have been chiseled by a master extending from his face to the rest of what he could see. 

If he had been merely a traveler coming into Beacon Hills Stiles knows he would have tried to approach him and ultimately fail. Some people were just untouchable in that area for him, especially people out of his league.

It was an odd disconnect to know that this man, Derek, was his Wolfy from before. Some body language translated easily through from even how he was sitting now spoke volumes of how the wolf sat. It was clear to Stiles that it was the same person that had saved him that night in the woods.

“Why did you do it?” Stiles found himself asking without his brains consent.

Derek glanced towards him obviously confused.

“Do what?” Derek responded tilting his head slightly. Another gesture reminiscent to his wolf side.

“Why did you save me from the Hunters that first night in the woods?” Stiles explained keeping his eyes trained on Derek. “I mean, is that something you did regularly because I never heard about those tales from anyone.”

Derek suddenly broke eye contact looking clearly uncomfortable with the question. If anything Stiles would say he looked flustered but it was hard to say. The word really didn’t fit the gruff looking man.

“Do you even know why?” Stiles ventured tired of waiting for a response. 

“I do.” Derek said abruptly but still wasn’t meeting his eyes.

Stiles found himself rolling his eyes coming to the conclusion that this might not be something he would figure out for a while. Apparently the verbal exchange between them would be as stunted as before. It was an odd disconnect from how much Derek had talked last night when he was hurt.

Absentmindedly, Stiles stretched his back and was surprised the pain in his chest was now mild when moving and no longer hurt that much to breathe, at least, at that moment. His headache was also gone but his searching hands did reveal he had a gash of some sort on his forehead. That must have had been what had been bleeding into his eyes the night before.

A hand guided his away from touching the wound. Derek didn’t meet his eye as Stiles allowed his hand to fall back. Best to avoid infection in this situation he supposed.

As Derek pulled his hand away Stiles tried to figure out what could have happened last night while at the same feeling regret at the loss of contact.

Either what had happened to him hadn’t been as bad as he originally thought. That didn’t seem likely; he knew what he had felt when he thought he was dying. The other option was something odd had to have happened. The thought that he had somehow subconsciously healed himself crossed his mind but that had never happened before to him and in all the stories he had heard from Deaton it only happened to dedicated healers.

His eyes looked to Derek.

“Did you heal me last night?” Stiles asked suddenly breaking the silence that had formed. His voice sounded unnaturally loud even with the rain pattering outside.

“I can’t heal, all I can do is take away the pain.” Derek answered in a reasonable amount time only meeting Stiles eyes for a quick moment. 

“Then how come I’m not dead?” Stiles pointed out, “I know I had some ribs broken and possible a cracked skull not to mention I used basically everything to make sure you didn’t die.”

“That was stupid.” Derek responded sounding as if he was reprimanding Stiles.

“What, saving you?” Stiles asked taken aback. Vaguely he remembered Derek saying that over and over again last night.

“Yes.” 

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Stiles snapped back getting angry.

Derek didn’t even glance at him. If he still had fur Stiles knew it would be bristling. 

“I saved you because you didn’t deserve to die, not because of me most of all. If anyone was stupid it was you busting into Sonoma like you did.” Stiles explained fervently feeling frustrated that his grand act had apparently been unwanted. 

He would not be shamed for what he had done and he didn’t regret, even if Derek was acting like a jerk.

“I didn’t want to be saved.” Derek basically growled out ignoring Stiles logic about the brash act.

“You wanted to die?” Stiles asked incredulously.

“I didn’t want to die, not yet.” Derek responded back almost in a low growl not caring apparently about the hypocrisy of the statements he was proclaiming. 

“You are impossible.” Stiles felt a vast of different sordid emotions swirl inside. Maybe he had misread the situation. He felt like the friend he thought he knew was gone and replaced with this surly man.

Perhaps he wasn’t giving Derek enough credit.

“Whatever, what I did can’t be taken back even with your oh so kind words. Not like I can change anything now.” Stiles pointed out looking away from Derek knowing he sounded annoying. “I still don’t regret it and by the way, you don’t get to make me feel small.”

Derek sounded like he was going to say something but was struggling to find the words. He ended up just sighing loudly and turning away as well. 

If this wasn’t awkward, then the word needed a new definition. 

“I need to go back to Beacon Hills.” Stiles finally mentioned breaking the silence.

Stiles didn’t know much but he did know one thing. It was time to leave. He stood up feeling the confused look on his back.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked, the bewilderment evident in his voice and Stiles reveled in it.

“I’m leaving.” Stiles explained turning back to face Derek who had a confused expression. It made him look oddly young and vulnerable. “And I would like you to come with despite this little moment.”

Derek immediately seemed to sink back into himself, the previous expression vanishing like fog with the wind.

“Why would you want that?” Derek muttered looking for all the world like he wanted to curl up in himself as if he was searching for his old comforting build and fur.

“Because you are my friend and I don’t go around abandoning friends, especially good ones.” Stiles made sure his voice was steady as he stared down at Derek. “Besides, we seem to make a good team.”

It was now on Derek, Stiles has laid his cards on the table. It was now that he would find out if his friend was still there. If anything they had once shared was still there. 

Wordlessly Derek returned his gaze and stood up fluidly. Even in stillness a certain grace filled him. It was disconcerting to watch but not wholly unpleasant.

Stiles let a small smile come unbidden to his face. His hand came up on its own violation, to do what, he wasn’t sure. He let it hang midair between them debating whether to complete the movement or to let it fall back down.

Derek didn’t leave him hanging. A strong hand grasped his and with a solid movement they shook hands. To say the sensation was odd would be not giving it enough credit but it felt real.

“Alright Stiles.” Derek said calmly staring him dead in the eye, “I’m with you.” 

“Okay then.” Stiles said back, the happiness evident in his voice as he stared back. “I’m glad we got that sorted out.”

Stiles felt his cheeks slightly heat up as the heavy gaze of Derek’s eyes continued to stare at him almost in wonderment. It was a mixed emotion that bubbled up within him that made him want to run away while at the same time never wanting to lose it. Stiles stood there caught between fight and flight.

He didn’t know what to feel when it was time to pull away.

Their hands parted almost hesitantly as if neither of them wanted to give up the touch. Stiles didn’t let the moment turn awkward this time as he soon turned and picked up his discarded bag and slung it over his shoulder. He needed to reign himself in he wanted to have any dignity when this was over. 

On the plus side the rain seemed to be letting up and without a cloak to keep him warm he was thankful for this one kind act by Mother Nature. 

“Do you think you could lead the way? You seem to have a good nose for direction.” Stiles asked tilting his head towards Derek who still seemed uncomfortable with something. His pun sadly was not readily noticed.

Derek nodded a second later and began to walk forward in what had to be the right direction. Despite the fact they Stiles was still a little tiffed about the reaction Derek had to him saving him, he wasn’t one to let the time be squandered., not when there were so many potential questions to be asked. Whether or not Derek would answer was still to be seen.

“Where did you get the pants? I’m assuming you turned back naked but I will be the first to admit that I don’t know the first thing to how that would happen. Only have Scott for comparison and he has never turned into a wolf.” Stiles asked, rambling a bit only just realizing he probably shouldn’t stare that long at said pants.

“I got them off one of the dead hunters.” Derek answered looking unfazed by this action.

“Oh, guess that’s better than walking around in the nude, not that it bothered you before.” Stiles rattled off trying to get some kind of laugh or smile. The dreariness was a getting to him.

“I kind of miss it.” Derek offered up then looked to regret saying it.

“Miss what, pants or being naked?” Stiles asked lightly with raised eyebrows trying to figure out what the gruff man meant.

“Nevermind.” Derek grumbled.

“You can’t say something like that and expect me to let it go.” Stiles pointed out crossing his arms and trying for a defiant look.

Derek let out an aggravated sigh but relented, “I miss my fur.” 

“Can you not turn back?” Stiles inquired not knowing if it was possible himself. 

“I don’t know. When it happened originally it was…involuntarily.” Derek said quietly at the end. 

For such an imposing man he seemed to shrink in on himself a lot.

“Involuntarily? So it was forced on you then.” Stiles stated trying to wrap his head around what had happened to cause the Legend to assist in the first place. “What happened to cause that?”

“I don’t know.” Derek offered weakly looking like he wanted to talk about anything else but that.

“You don’t know or you don’t want to tell me.” Stiles couldn’t help but point out feeling like there was a lot Derek wasn’t telling him.

“A bit of both maybe.” Derek mentioned quietly avoiding his eyes and keeping his gaze straight ahead staring at the trees

“You do trust me though right because dude I got to say I still trust you even with all this shit that just happened recently” Stiles asked feeling trepidation crawl down his spine. 

The fact that it took Derek a bit of time to answer did not help him feel any better. 

“I do, I just can’t believe you still trust me.” It sounded like it was hard for Derek to admit. That hint of vulnerability was showing again.

“Really?” Stiles knew he sounded taken aback but that was because he was. 

Derek shot him a look that screamed you are an idiot. In response Stiles merely shrugged not caring the least at this point still trying to figure out why that was such a ludicrous idea. Derek had to remember all the times he saved him and been there for him when he needed him. 

“I’ve killed countless people Stiles. Probably some people that were innocent.” Derek sounded exasperated gripping his hands into fists tightly. “I don’t remember everything but I do remember that I have taken life from people.” 

Derek’s body language radiated self loathing guilt. It was beyond obvious what he thought about himself and it was kind of painful to look at. These past couple of years must not have been kind to him. That much was beyond obvious.

“You remember specifically killing people that weren’t trying to hurt you?” Stiles asked hesitantly. Looking back at the tales that were told about the so called Alpha he never remembered tales of innocents being taken. Only the rumors that one it existed, and two it was a bane for the Hunters.

Derek glanced at him and for a second looked surprised before he steeled it over and was looking forward once more. 

“I don’t specifically but I remember a lot of blood, pain, and hate.” Derek practically spat. “I’m not a good person Stiles. There was a reason I was in that form.” 

“You didn’t answer my question.” Stiles pointed out pulling his backpack off to grab some jerky out of it.

“I know.” Derek said quietly glancing at the jerky..

“I’ll give you some of this if you give me a straight answer.” Stiles bargained sending Derek he hoped what was an encouraging smile. He knew he didn’t look great at the moment but his charm still had to shine through in some capacity. The circles under his eyes and gash on his forehead be damned.

“Yes, I trust you, I thought it was obvious.” Derek responded rolling his eyes looking somewhat looser than when he was talking about death.

Stiles handed him some of the food and for the next few minutes they were able to enjoy the comradery and stillness of the forest as they walked. It was a nice moment of reprieve after all the chaos that had been previously been wrought. If he pretended, he could imagine he was just out for a walk with a friend right outside of Beacon Hills.

This was of course not true and the slight ache in his ribs with each step was a solid reminder of that fact. 

The real ache though was the urge to get home back to Beacon Hill and have some sort of normalcy return back to his life. If he could just get back soon enough to explain everything to his Dad and the rest of the town populace then maybe, just maybe, they could explain what had happened and have the town rally behind him and Scott. 

If the Hunters got there first or if they were already there, then that would make things…complicated. 

Stiles really hoped that his letter had reached his Dad by now to hopefully layaway any of those complications. He supposed that he might just have to improvise when he reached the town especially when it came to Derek. Truth be told, he hoped they could both meet up with Allison and Scott before they reached the outskirts of town.

Though, if Scott and Allison were probably out there somewhere ‘reacquainting’ themselves with one another, well Stiles couldn’t really well blame them. Especially after what both of them had gone through. Being that close to losing him probably had shaken Allison to the very core not to mention Scotts own brush with death while his girlfriend and best friend watched on. 

Good mental scarring was hard to overcome.

“Do you think you are going to hang around once we make it back to Beacon Hills?” Stiles suddenly found himself asking. He told himself he had to know for the sake of planning out what was going to happen once they reached Beacon Hills but he knew that wasn’t true. There were of course deeper reasons that made him feel oddly vulnerable and exposed, “I mean, are you going to stick around or go back to doing what you were doing before I met you.”

This time it was him avoiding Derek’s gaze. Even though he wasn’t looking he could practically feel the confusion thrown his way. It was like Derek didn’t seem to understand that anyone would want him around. 

“I haven’t really given any thought to the future for a long time” Derek revealed slowly sounding now more like he was talking more to himself than to Stiles. “For the most part I acted on instincts until recently.”

“If it counts for anything I wouldn’t mind having you around. Probably wouldn’t hurt for you to have more practice interacting with people anyways now that you know, are human again.” Stiles said trying to explain some rational other than the fact that he just wanted Derek around because he liked him and felt some odd connection.

God, he was turning into a fourteen year old again.

“Okay.” Derek said simply.

Stiles turned to him feeling his mouth drop open just a bit and his eyebrows noticeably rise.

“Okay that you will hang around or okay I get what you are trying to say.” Stiles asked needed to know for sure either way. 

“Okay that I will hang around. Not like I have someone else to go.” Derek said this time meeting his gaze and giving just for a short moment, a small smile that spoke volumes.

Stiles returned the smile with a full on grin. Before he knew it, he found himself laughing clear and bright. The relief he felt in that moment overwhelming him. He struggled to gain control over himself.

“Sorry, it’s just, it feels nice to finally feel like something is going my way.” 

Stiles looked back forward, feeling his face redden from the exertion and uncalled for emotions, and set his shoulders back. This was going to go right. There was no way it could get worse than it had at Sonoma, right?

He should have knocked on wood.


	15. Chapter 15

The night was coming to a close and with it brought a wave of cold temperature. Stiles was beginning to regret the fact that his cloak was lost to him now. It was still in his bag, but the fact that it was soaked in blood was a determent from actually wearing it. 

Derek only had pants on but seemed impervious to the chillier temperature that came with the sun dipping down on the horizon. 

Not much conversation had passed between the two of them as they walked. Not that Stiles hadn’t tried to breach the air of awkwardness with some small talk. Derek had responded with grunts of mono syllable answers leaving Stiles befuddled with how to make the man open up.

In order for it work out once they reached Beacon Hills, Stiles needed information. There would no doubt be questions when they got back. If he wanted any chance to get a head of them and stave off any fear he needed to know certain things. 

His Dad would be at the front of these questions after the initial shock of him returning was done. Being the sheriff meant he had certain responsibilities even when it came to his own son. Stiles hoped it wouldn’t come down to his Dad having to choose between him and the town. 

A burst of wind hit him causing him to violently shiver for a moment. 

Derek must have noticed because he spoke up, “We probably should stop for now. I don’t think we can make it to back unless we walk straight through the night.”

It went unspoken that he didn’t think Stiles could keep up the pace they were going.

Stiles had tried to ask earlier how he looked but the guilty look he had earned in return had made him back off. It wasn’t hard to garner that he still looked like crap. It didn’t help that he still felt like said crap.

It wasn’t like Derek looked that much better but the comparison between morning Derek and now was astounding. The dark circles had receded and what few bruises he had sported had disappeared. Stiles guessed it was from being a werewolf. Gotta love those bonuses.

“I suppose we could.” Stiles conceded secretly feeling relieved. 

Derek nodded and in return led him forward off to the side looking around and sniffing occasionally. Stiles followed after hiding any winces he might have. Thankfully, it was soon that Derek was motioning him forward towards a secluded area that had good tree coverage.

Stiles was just glad it was dry and the trees blocked the wind relatively well.

Derek helped him pick some wood for a fire with minimal conversation exchanged. Stiles touched his spark and it had recharged somewhat through the day allowing him to start the fire with minimal effort. Derek watched through the process and twitched slightly when the flames sprung to life.

Stiles sat near the fire warming his hands while Derek went to sit under a tree in the shadows. 

The fire felt wonderful and for a moment Stiles felt like a normal sane person instead of the fugitive he was. The heat filled him from his toes to his ears. After the cold walk today it was one of the most welcome respites he had had. 

After he had gotten his fill, he turned to look at Derek who looked to be brooding silently with his eyes closed. His shoulders were tensed and his arms were crossed. Stiles felt it was imperative to break up the somber mood.

What better way to do that than some probing question?

“This might seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, which it is, but can I ask how long you had your, er, furry condition.” Stiles asked after debating the entire walk to ask.

“For a while.” Derek admitted vaguely opening his eyes to stare at Stiles from the darkness.

Not a fountain of information this one but Stiles was not to be discouraged.

“Okay, sounds like it’s been a while. Probably over five years.” Stiles peered at Derek raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah, it has been around that I think.” Derek looked slightly impressed. That look soon washed away and Derek scowled before saying, “You got to know Stiles, when I was like that, I wasn’t a person.”

“I thought that was obvious?” Stiles joked lightly. 

“No, what I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t all there Stiles. Like I said earlier it was instincts,” Derek sounded strained but earnest like he wanted to Stiles to understand but at the same time was ashamed by it.

“I was with you though, you knew what I was saying and responded back,” Stiles retorted back trying to understand what Derek was trying to get at.

“I know that,” Derek paused and rubbed a hand on his neck as if he had a knot there, “My mind was clearer around you. It was like I could get through the haze and be me again.” His voice slipped away as if he didn’t truly know himself. 

Stiles didn’t have the heart to probe more. That didn’t stop the questions from rising up in his head though. Could that be why Derek had helped him that night in the woods that first night they met? If it was true and Derek had been more an animal than a man then what prompted him to not simply kill Stiles that night.

Even though thoughts came unbidden to his head, he had the self control to hold onto them. He didn’t want to scare Derek off. If he did indeed come to Beacon Hills there would be plenty of time to ask these questions in a more comfortable atmosphere. A good meal and a night sleep could do wonders for the both of them.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much right now, not like we can do anything about it, right?” Stiles interjected trying to interrupt Derek from his current thoughts that seemed to be heading towards the broody side. “Just focus on the fact that beds and actual food are in our futures. We just got to make it through tonight and we will be the home stretch.” 

Stiles chuckled lightly at his joke.

Derek seemed to appreciate the sentiment with a brief chuckle and the relaxing of his shoulders. 

“Thanks, that does sound nice.” 

It surprised Stiles how much Derek’s state of being seemed to affect him. Seeing him break from the mister broody attitude made him feel lighter. Even though Derek still seemed somewhat of a stranger with his recent transformation, Stiles still felt the same level of attachment towards him. 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that strange. After all he had been willing to die for him. A bond like that wouldn’t disintegrate over a change in shape. 

Not like Stiles would admit he missed the cuddling they used to share when Derek had been a wolf. If he was a betting man, he would say Derek felt the same. It didn’t seem like either of them would ever come close to saying it at this point.

Stiles would give it some time if this feeling of loss continued. To say it was a bit disconcerting would be understating it. Even him and his Dad had only a few hugs every once in a while. It seems like they both had been starved for contact for a while.

Stiles tried to steer the conversation towards some lighter subjects.

“You will probably like Deaton, he’s the guy who taught me everything I know about my spark.” Stiles explained as he watched the shadows play in the firelight. 

“There was something I wanted to ask you about that. You mentioned your spark before but what’s the difference between someone with the spark and from anybody else who can use magic?” Derek asked sounding genuinely curious.

“Wow, I think that’s the longest you’ve spoken.” Stiles pointed out grinning and tilting his head playfully.

Derek sent him a frown in exchange.

“Not that that’s a bad thing. Yeah I bet you are a bit confused about that. The magic community usually doesn’t spread that kind of information around.” Stiles admitted shrugging his shoulders. 

Some people saw having a spark as sincerely useful but it also put a target on you. Stiles had been mostly oblivious to that fact living in Beacon Hills. These last couple of days had led him to confront this fact face to face and the brutality of it. The word witch hadn’t been heard so many times before. 

“If you have a spark as they call it, it just means you have a source of magic readily available to use magic without draining your own energy right off the bat if that makes sense. It took me a bit to wrap my head around it and I have the damn thing.” Stiles rattled off using appropriate hand gestures to demonstrate.

He grabbed a stick off the ground and lit the end of it on fire using simple combustion techniques. Derek’s eyes widened at the display momentarily and noticeably flinched. Stiles took notice and let the fire taper off and snuff out.

“If someone had the talent for magic but not a spark when they did something like I just did, they would have had their own energy drained as if they had just lifted up a bucket or something. Not much but something. For me though, I just used some of my spark but it’s not like it’s endless.” He let the stick fall to the ground.

Derek’s eyes followed charred stick with a heavy expression before bringing them back up to Stiles.

“Like what happened when you healed me.” Derek’s tone sounded like he wanted to reprimand Stiles again for that but held back.

“Yeah, like that,” Stiles admitted but passed by that point quickly, “My spark had been used all up at Sonoma when I did that thing with the storm and gate which resulted in me only able to use my own energy to work magic. It takes a bit for it to recharge and there hadn’t been enough time.” Stiles looked away and shoot out his shoulders. “Magic is a fickle thing though, all about imagination. Some people have more talent than others when it comes to using it.” 

“Still, I’ll admit a lot of what you have done has been impressive.” Derek acknowledged, “I remember seeing you standing in the storm back in Sonoma and everything had snapped into clarity for a moment.” Derek sounded wistful before looking slightly embarrassed by what had just come out of his mouth.

Stiles simply grinned widely letting the compliment wash over him like the fire before him.

“Thanks Derek.” 

Derek merely grumbled something in response looking away but Stiles could have sworn he saw some red tinge the man’s cheeks even in the shadows as he was. This only made Stiles grin harder and look away as well. Something in the pit of his stomach fluttered but he ignored it.

He turned back to the fire and brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. His eyes stared into the fire and thought about what tomorrow would bring when they got to Beacon Hills. If they got to Beacon Hills that is.

“Do you think the Hunters are still tracking us?” Stiles murmured resting his head on his arms. 

“Yes,” The answer was blunt.

“Are they nearby?” Stiles asked slightly turning his body towards Derek.

“No,” Derek opened his eyes again, “We lost them probably halfway through today.” He narrowed his eyes, “Though something felt off, it happened to suddenly for me to feel comfortable.” 

“You think they are planning something don’t you.” Stiles pointed out lifting his head up as some of the dots were connected.

“I wouldn’t put it past them.” Derek looked to be disgruntled by that fact. 

“Damn it,” Stiles cursed gripping his knees tighter. “Here I was thinking it would all go back to normal once me and Scott got back, was just freaking fooling myself.”

Derek didn’t answer which in turn didn't derail Stiles from this line in thought.

“Shit, do you even think we should even go back there?” Stiles asked needing a straight answer on this one. 

He didn’t need to wait long for Derek’s response.

“It’s hard to say. Neither of us knows what they are planning.” Derek said heavily. “I can’t make that decision for you but I will stick with you despite whatever you choose.” 

Stiles couldn’t help the smile that bubbled up for a moment at that last part but it soon went away. On one hand his possibly only chance of meeting back up with Scott was at Beacon Hills not to mention his Dad. On the other hand he might be leading the Hunters back to his town which was a big ass no no.

He buried his face in his hands and groaned, “When is everything going to stop sucking?” 

“I have yet to find out.” Derek added in sounding just as morose.

“Bah!” Stiles threw his hands to the ground and stood up to begin pacing around the fire. 

Sure he may look like was trying to conjure up some spirits of the dead but at this point he couldn’t care. 

“Stiles,” Derek said surprisingly calmly.

Stiles stopped and turned sharply towards him which ended up making his ribs ache, “What?”

“Sit down.” He was using his commanding voice again like the night before.

Stiles wanted to yell and argue but something with the way Derek looked made him let it go. His shoulders slumped forward as he wiped a hand down his face. This was just one of those problems that couldn’t be fixed with sheer determination.

Slowly Stiles walked back to his original spot and collapsed back to the ground. 

“Maybe a good night’s sleep will help?” Stiles asked not even sounding the least bit convincing.

“It could,” Was Derek’s oh so helpful reply. 

Stiles fell backwards to lay back on the ground. He stared up at the smoke trailing up into the sky and followed it up to the stars. Absentmindedly he tried to find some constellations that he and Scott had made up.

“You know any constellations Derek?” Stiles asked out of the blue. 

“Yeah,” His voice grew quieter, “My Dad taught me some as a kid.” 

Stiles lifted his head up, “Really?” He patted the spot next to him, “Help me relieve some stress then why don’t you?” 

The wide eyes he got in return queued him into what he just said.

“Oh god, no, ignore that. I want you to show me some constellations you know. Uh you know something, ahem, friends do together. Geeze just forget it.” Stiles stuttered out feeling his face heat up.

Internally cursing, he smashed his hands into his eyes and tried to sink into the ground. He was so engrossed in this he didn’t even hear Derek get up from his spot and slink over next to him. When he finally did he flinched towards the fire until he saw Derek lift his hand up and point up at the stars.

“There is the Big Wolf with the Cub.” Derek explained as Stiles followed the finger upwards to see what he and Scott had simply named the two big ass spoons in the sky. “My Dad would say that they got lost in the forest and ended up in the sky and because of that they helped anyone else who got lost by showing them what way is North.”

“Me and Scott just called them the spoons but your interpretation seems more majestic.” Stiles teased sneaking Derek a grin feeling some of his anxiety leak away.

To his ultimate surprise he saw Derek smile in return.

“I believed it was true as a kid but I still appreciate the sentiment now.” He said warmly obviously swimming in some positive nostalgia. “Oh, and over there is the Great Pack.”

Stiles once again followed his pointed finger and saw just a bunch of stars that didn’t seem to make any concise picture. 

“That one is supposedly all the greatest wolves that have died. They all go up there and join the eternal hunt.” Derek petered off and ended quietly as his hand fell back down.

Stiles couldn’t help but think about the great tragedy that had befallen the Hale clan after that explanation. How many of Derek’s relatives were up there in that big hunt? The thought hurt to think about. Suddenly the massive amount of stars in that quadrant made sense and he could see a glimmer of what Derek saw.

“That sounds like a nice place up there.” Stiles added in softly, “Deaton always said that whatever you think is going to happen when you die awaits you, something about a big tree.”

“Yggdrassil?” 

“Hey yeah, that’s the name.” Stiles said impressed that Derek knew about it.

Stiles felt that small feeling he often felt looking up at the sky at night. Like if he didn’t grip the earth hard enough he would go flying upwards. Trying to shake that feeling off he looked for one of his and Scotts constellations.

“Me and Scott called that one over there the big butt.” Stiles said taking a turn to point out his own constellation.

Derek looked up at the sky and actually nodded breaking from whatever thoughts threatened to consume him, “Yeah, I can see that. You two were really creative with naming.”

“Well from what I heard your family mostly had wolves up there.” Stiles joked, “C’mon, show me another.” 

Derek obliged and soon they were both taking turns pointing out some of their favorite constellation. Somewhere between The Great Bear and the Sharp Stick, Stiles fell asleep.

And you know what, it was one of the best nights sleeps he had in a long time. 

When he woke up, awareness came slowly but there was something clear, he felt safe. Blearily he opened his eyes and his sight was filled with one thing, Derek Hales beautiful mug. It took him a moment to realize it was because the two of them were practically on top of one another.

Scratch that, they were on top of one another.

Stiles knee jerk reaction was to pull away before the other man woke up but he shut that down pretty quickly upon realizing that would undoubtedly cause what he was trying to avoid. He kept his breathing steady as he took stock that their legs were tangled together and Derek was holding him tightly on top of him. Stiles face was right beneath Derek’s chin.

Never had he been more thankful that his morning boner wasn’t showing its face.

It was undeniably comfortable and it must have happened while they were both asleep. The mutual attraction towards body heat and what not but Stiles knew he had to untangle himself before Derek woke up. Despite the fact that the only thing he truly wanted at that moment was to go back to sleep.

Steeling himself to pull away from the heat, he began to extract himself delicately. It took some fine motor control but after a few minutes Derek was lying on his side Stileless and Stiles was rekindling the fire to try and regain some of that heat back.

Derek stirred a moment later looking like he needed a cup of coffee the way his hair was all in disarray and the endearing dumb look he had on his face. Stiles handed him some food and the water sack which Derek took wordlessly as he got up into a sitting position. Stiles listened to him eat as he himself looked at the flames feeling the night sleep help him collect his thoughts.

Once Derek had passed back the water jug and he had put it away did Stiles finally look him in the eyes. Derek’s eyes held the question Stiles finally knew the answer to.

“We have to go to Beacon Hills.”


	16. Chapter 16

“I know I told you about Beacon Hills before but I have a good feeling you are going to like it. It doesn’t really have much going for it but hey, I’m there. Also I have it on good authority that not much happens there. I bet you wouldn’t be opposed to some quiet nights, at least for a while.” Stiles rambled on feeling in his heart they were close to Beacon Hills. 

They had made great time during the day even with Stiles needing more often than not a break. He had a feeling his ribs were either still slightly fractured or just very sore. Even so, Derek had led him on an easy route through the forest sending him worried glances only occasionally.

“That might be nice.” Derek said quietly looking less weary than he had this morning. 

“Honestly, I don’t think we can stay too long though.” Stiles added in holding his chin in his hand and resting his elbow on his other arm. “We still have the whole Hunter issue which I’m working on. Can’t be fugitives forever but maybe if we meet up with Scott and Allison, we can all figure something out for good.”

Derek made a noncommittal noise in return but did nod in supposed agreement.

“Gotta focus on one goal at a time right?” Stiles offered letting his hands return back to swinging by his side. 

The sun had disappeared from view blocked by trees now. Stiles was about to ask Derek if he wanted to stop for the night or try and push through the lack of light when Derek stopped dead in his tracks. Stiles walked a few steps before turning his head and then his entire body as concern filled him when he saw Derek’s face.

Derek was standing stock still with a look of pure horror on his face. It rivaled the one Stiles had seen when Derek had thought he had been dying. Stiles was about to try and ask what was wrong when Derek met his gaze and interrupted him.

“Stiles, Beacon Hills, something’s wrong,” Derek voice was throaty and hoarse as if the words were being choked out.

Stiles own eyes widened as denial wedged its way into his heart. Without waiting for Derek to say anything more, he was turning and sprinting in the direction they had been previously walking. It was a bit difficult with the path not being super clear and his aching ribs but he made it work the best he could.

He dimly heard Derek yell out to him to stop but Stiles didn’t heed his advice. Even with his heart squeezing painfully with each contraction from the force of his sprint but he attributed that more to the exertion than anything else. There wasn’t like anything could be wrong.

It couldn’t be. 

Not now. 

Not there.

As he ran, what Derek had sensed before him was made all too clear.

There was smoke coming his way blown by what little wind there was. The smell made his stomach drop even further into the bowels of his body as his neck craned back to watch it go past. It looked like a monster of its own creation with long arms billowing out under the trees spreading itself outwards. 

This was not happening.

Ignoring the clear signs, Stiles continued onward not believing it to be true, needing it not to be true. The smoke grew denser and any animals he saw were running the other way in clear fear. He thought he heard Derek following behind him but he didn’t look back. His eyes were focused purely on straining to see through the trees to see any sign that his home town was alright.

The sun was fading into dark hues that littered the sky but the light ahead of him through the trees was growing brighter with each footfall illuminating the trees backs with orange light. The shadows reached out in long lines that looked to try and grab him at any second. Gritting his teeth, he desperately ran harder.

He broke out of the tree line in a burst of speed and came skidding to a halt in the dry grass. A wave of heat greeted him along with the sight of his home town succumbed to a roaring fire. Huge flames arched into the sky as they fed on the burning wood below that had made up so many different houses and buildings that were so close together in a tight knit community. 

Half of the buildings he saw were already charred black already been eaten by the hungering inferno and only their bleak carcasses remained.

“No,” Stiles whispered sharply his eyes wide and his pupils constricting into pinpoints by the expanse of sudden light. “This-this can be happening. How is this happening? Why is this happening!?” 

He heard Derek come to a stop behind which caused him to turn his head suddenly back to stare at him. The man that stood there looked just as haggard as he probably did if not more so. If he had to guess in a saner moment, he would have guessed that Derek looked to be one second from a full blown panic attack.

It was a regrettably stark truth that Stiles didn’t have the mental capacity in that moment to handle his own emotions let alone Derek’s leaving them both awash lost in their own oceans. 

“Stiles, I-” Derek started but a large cracking sound from a beam breaking in a building behind them interrupted him and caused him to flinch violently backwards. 

The mighty Alpha looked more like a scared rabbit at the sight of the fire raging in front of him. Face ashen and everything in his body language was screaming the man wanted to run and drag Stiles away with him. 

Stiles wrenched his gaze away back towards what had been his home town. Denial thrummed in his blood as his feet began to move forward slowly and then faster. The heat grew stronger as he approached the burning buildings and his body was engulfed in the dancing lights caused by the fire. 

“Dad,” Stiles murmured futilely into the chaos.

Struggling to keep in control, he found himself running towards the web of fire and flames in an attempt to reach his home. His eyes were stinging from the smog as well as leaving his lungs burning from all the rapid inspirations. He didn’t give a shit, he was in too deep now. 

Another large crack rang out and a second later another house began to collapse from the internal carnage. It just missed hitting him as it fell where he had just ran past sending splinters and debris skittering outwards. He didn’t glance backwards.

Turning the final corner his eyes finally found what he was seeking and the internal anguish hit him hard.

His house was utterly engulfed in flames. His home was burning down before his eyes. He slowed to a walk for a few steps as the horror truly sunk in before he was sprinting for the final length.

“DAD!” Stiles screamed it this time sounding like a scared child lost in the town market who just wanted to find their parent.

The thought that his Dad was in there made his mind a blank wall of fear and panic. He had to get in there and find him before it collapsed. The heat grew with each time his foot pounded into the ground and despite seeing that the front door was replaced by a wall of his fire, his steps didn’t falter.

Using his spark didn’t even cross his mind. All he could think about was getting in his house and dragging his Dad out. In the end, he didn’t even reach the steps.

Someone crashed into him from behind pushing him to the dirt hard. Stiles breath left his lungs and his sore ribs creaked together as he was pushed into the earth. That didn’t stop his fingers from digging into the soil though as he tried to drag himself forward despite the heavy body that was currently on top of him weighing him down. 

His eyes were solely fixated on the house he was born in slowly caving in on itself.

“Let me go, I need to save him!” Stiles cried practically begging, still trying to gain leverage on the ground. “Please, he’s dying!”

“He’s not in there.” It was Derek’s voice speaking but it was muffled. His face felt like it was buried between Stiles shoulder blades and two hands were gripping his shirt tightly. “I’d be able to smell if he was. There is no one here but us!”

Stiles grabbed at tufts of grass and his elbows dug into the dirt as he tried not to fall of the face of the earth. He watched with a crumpling face as his home began to fall inward as the supports began to snap one by one from lack of integrity. His struggling slowed with each beam that fell as something inside of him broke in tandem with each one.

His mind was slowly adapting to the tragedy he was watching allowing him to believe Derek when he said no one was here but on the other hand you could never rid yourself of all doubt. It didn’t help that everything his mother owned was now gone in a matter of minutes. Everything that she had ever touched, made or gave him was all gone.

The only thing that remained was the name she had given him.

Stiles stayed there on the ground with Derek quaking on top of him until his house was completely obliterated. His eyes never left it for a second as his world literally burned around him. It slowly sunk in that this was all his fault as the tears that he felt build up inside refused to fall causing an internal ache to settle in his chest. 

He finally screwed his eyes shut and turned his head towards the ground. He supposed he should be crying, wailing at the world for what it had wrought him but nothing came forth. He just felt cold inside even with all the warmth that surrounded him. 

If Derek hadn’t been there, there was no doubt he would have walked into the house and burned with it trying to find his Dad. 

“Let’s go Derek.” Stiles voice sounded chilling even to him for a second.

Most of the fire had tapered out engulfing the buildings. In a corner of his mind, Stiles supposed they were lucky that the forest hadn’t caught fire along with the town. Instead Beacon Hills simply was no more.

He slowly pulled himself and Derek up off the ground with the latter still hiding his face on Stiles back. The man still appeared to be shaking and unwilling to look around at all the buildings that were now mere skeletons of their former self. The only feeling Stiles had at that moment was further guilt of causing this stress in Derek.

Stiles surveyed the remains that used to be his hometown and looked at the all the buildings that once had held the life of everyone he knew. His heart felt like it couldn't take anymore when his eyes stuttered on an object that still remained. There, in what appeared to be the center of what remained, was a billowing black flag surrounded by the embers of what still burned. 

It was the flag of the Hunter Clan. The mere sight of made Stiles felt his heart harden further as steely resolution settled over him. It truly was his fault.

“I’ll lead the way, just walk with me okay.” Stiles said grasping Derek’s hand out of his shirt and walking back towards the forest mutely.

Stiles didn’t glance back. 

His home was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, so I put it out sooner.


	17. Chapter 17

Hours had passed since the destruction of Beacon Hills and Stiles hadn’t stopped once on his forced march. No words had been exchanged between him and Derek as he walked down the barren road that was leading them back towards Sonoma. His injuries were being forcefully ignored and the forest protection had long been abandoned. He was past caring if they came across anyone.

In fact, let them find him. He was ready for them. This time, he wouldn't hold back.

“I’m going to kill them all Derek.” Stiles voice pierced the air. It was hollow sounding with only wrath filling the edges of his voice. “I am going to find them and burn them all down. See how they like it.”

His spark felt like lightning in his belly as his teeth gritted together and his hands gripped into fists to prevent it from lashing out of control. It was like a vengeful animal that was demanding to be used. Who was he to deny it? 

A firm hand fell on his shoulder and spun him around making him come to a stuttering halt. If he hadn’t had such a tight control over his magic, he didn’t know what he may have unleashed at the sudden provocation by accident. As it was, he ended up merely glaring at Derek who had a face of pure understanding.

It hurt to look at.

“Stiles…” Derek voice trailed off with just the utterance of his name.

“Haven’t they hurt you too Derek?” Stiles jabbed out quickly before Derek’s empathy got to him, “You wanted to kill them just as I do right now. In, fact, I’ve seen you do it without any hesitation so why should you think I’d be any different after that and what gives you the right to take that away from me.”

Derek looked away for a moment, his face growing dark before he locked his eyes with Stiles once again.

“I still do so I get what you are feeling right now. You have no idea how much I get it but my hurt is old while yours is fresh so out of all of us,” His grip tightened on Stiles shoulder as he leaned in further, “I’m the one who is thinking clearly right now.”

“They killed your family didn’t they?” Stiles pointed out cruelly needing Derek to get behind his vendetta. “They killed them probably in cold blood so how can you be anything but sane right now.” 

Derek eyes flashed red and his whole body bristled. Stiles couldn’t help but sneer inside seeing that. That was what he needed. He needed another body of vengeance on his side to make them pay. 

“I am anything but sane Stiles.” Derek snarled out putting his face closer to Stiles so they were on eye level.

“So what’s the problem than, huh? What's stopping us from simply going to end them?” Stiles jabbed out tipping his chin forward feeling his anger continue to roil like some sort of beast within him.

They were close now, breathing the same air as the tension grew.

“The difference is while my family is dead, yours possibly isn’t. There was death there but not a whole towns worth.” Derek explained his face still mere inches from Stiles own.

“For all we know they took everyone to Sonoma just like they did with Scott when they found him. They’ve already shown they couldn’t care less about possibly killing innocent people.” Stiles rebuked already imagining what could possibly be happening while they just stood here in the road. “If there is at all a possibility that they took my Dad or he is dead, there will be nothing that can stop me from tearing them all down.” 

Stiles pulled away from the grounding hand and continued to stalk down the road keeping his eyes trained forward. The thought of that woman, Kate Argent, getting her hands on his Dad or anyone else made his blood boil. What she would possibly do to get to him was limitless from what she had shown in that brief encounter.

“You should probably listen to him Stiles.” A voice shouted behind them down the road they had just traveled on. 

It was a familiar voice that caused Stiles to stop dead in his tracks. Even his breathing stilled as if it would cause him to wake up from the dream he had apparently entered into. Slowly his head turned and his body followed to look where Derek was already looking to see down the road stood two people. Both of whom were heartbreakingly familiar.

“Scott, you’re okay.” Stiles felt an almost forced smile hit his face as he stared at his friend waving at him with Allison by his side.

Scott looked about the same as he had at Sonoma but less dirty and beaten. Like any decent werewolf worth its salt, he had begun to heal from the myriad of injuries with only the worst remaining as pink slivers lining his body where the clothes didn't cover him. The bruises were fading to green and while his face looked to be a bit haggard, it was the same Scott he had seen before they left town and had entered the forest that fateful night. 

Allison looked to be the same badass as before with any injuries she may have hidden by her armor that looked to be beaten up. Her stance was that of cool confidence and seemed more at ease than Stiles remembered ever seeing her, probably because of Scott being by her side instead of locked up about to be killed by her Dad. He presumed she felt free not to worry about being caught being seen with him now.

“They are okay Stiles. You’re Dad and my Mom. They got out safely.” Scott rushed out walking towards them with a face that soon turned to concern when he caught sight of Stiles face. “We saw them get out of the town and escape with everyone else.”

Stiles felt his knees quake as a crackle of static electricity hit the air for a second. His hands hung listlessly by his side as the news rushed over him. His heart couldn’t take it if this was a lie and at this point he didn’t know what to believe. The image of seeing that flag wave mockingly at him among the remains of his hometown was seared in his brain. 

“He’s alive, my Dads alive?” Stiles asked looking at Scott who was rushing towards him now looking like he wanted to comfort Stiles anyway possible. 

Derek stepped up to his side and looked torn by the news but Stiles wasn’t in the state to interpret what he was feeling. The man did offer some support as he stood by his side showing with body language he was there for him. Stiles stood up straighter and felt his chest become less tight. 

Stiles watched as Scott and Allison slow to a stop in tandem a few feet away. Scott glanced towards Derek before returning his gaze back to Stiles looking unsure on how to proceed. Allison looked to be focused on Derek though, narrowing her eyes as she looked him over probably already trying to work out the puzzle in front on her. It wouldn’t take long for her to put two and two together.

Stiles didn’t care. He needed to hear it again. He needed confirmation and solid proof on what Scott was telling him.

“Yeah, he is. Deaton somehow knew the Hunters were on their way somehow and alerted your Dad and your Dad got everyone out. We got there right before it happened and helped the best we could.” Scott explained quickly.

Stiles gripped Derek arm with one hand while the other one was focused on covering his face. That horrible feeling of needing to have some sort of release crept up on him as he screwed his face up but no tears slipped down. It was as if they were all gone leaving him to deal with the emotion without any hope of relief. 

“Who are you anyways?” He heard Scott ask probably peering at Derek.

Derek, in true form, didn’t respond back. 

“Stiles, who are you with?” Allison asked, quick to the point ignoring the fact Derek didn’t answer the point blank question. She didn’t have to ask him where the Alpha had gone. 

Stiles let his hand drop from his face as he struggled to collect himself and not succumb to the anxiety that was building. He looked at Allison and Scott and saw both their attentions were on Derek while Derek was focused on him. He realized that he still was grasping Derek arm but even after that action was recognized, he didn’t let go. It was the only thing that felt like it was preventing him from flying over to the deep end. 

Taking a deep breath and exhaling forcefully as if that would merely push all the bad feelings out, he became Stiles again. He pulled his head back rubbing a hand through his hair and met Scott’s eyes. He noticed Scott glance at the wound on his forehead but Stiles stood tall and ignored it. 

“This is Derek and I’ll explain everything later." Stiles did a quick point job at Derek ignoring the raised eyebrow from the addressed, "First off, before we do anything else, can you please take me to my Dad?” 

“Yeah, we can do that.” Scott said looking at him like he thought Stiles was going to break any second. 

Stiles hated that look right now. He wasn't just some animal they had found in the forest that was hurt that needed tending to. After all, wasn't he the one that orchestrated the whole 'rescue Scott' event? 

"Just follow me but man it is great to see you.” Scott beamed at him. 

He reached out tentatively for a second looking as if he wanted to reach out and hug Stiles but hung back because of Derek. Part of Stiles wanted to finish the move but right now he was feeling a lot of things and scarily enough a larger part of him was angry at Scott for being a part of the factors that caused this mess. It wasn’t something he was enjoying.

Allison was the first one to move in this odd standoff that had been created. Glancing one more time at Derek with eyes that were most likely dissecting him, she turned her back and headed down the road with her hand gripping her sling that strapped her bow to her back. Scott reluctantly started after her all the while motioning towards Stiles to follow after as if this was just another romp in the woods.

Stiles found himself following after Scott and Allison with Derek meandering behind him after he let his hand drop from Derek's arm. 

“He’s lying.” Derek muttered to him staring at Scott's back looking as if he was trying to analyze him.

“About what?” Stiles asked fervently looking at Derek.

“Not sure, it’s practiced. He’s trying to hide it and knows how to.” Derek explained returning his gaze for a few seconds looking concerned. "But something he is saying isn't true."

“It’s Scott, I have to trust him, especially about something this important.” Stiles muttered more to himself than Derek as if he was trying to convince himself of this fact. “We are practically brothers.”

“Even families lie, Stiles.” Derek murmured so quietly, Stiles almost didn’t catch it. 

It felt like the longest walk as Scott led them onward and Stiles felt his ribs begin to ache. Scott and Allison walked side by side exchanging words occasionally with a occasional glances backwards to boot. Stiles and Derek meanwhile followed steadily after not saying a word within earshot. 

After a while Derek did say, “We’re close.” 

Stiles nodded trying to keep a hold on the hope that was rising higher with each second. Luckily his spark had quieted down but it could just be for now. He just needed some confirmation. This waiting and walking was beginning to wear on him.

“It’s right up here!” Scott yelled back at them pointing forward.

They were waiting for Stiles and Derek to catch up before leading them into what could only be described as a town made of caravans. People were all milling around with familiar faces mixed with strangers. Large pieces of cloth were strewn about making the whole thing look homier. It looked as if the whole encampment could pick up and move at a moment's notice with all the horses and cattle strewn about.

It was like something Stiles had never seen before.

He whirled back towards Scott and Allison after scanning the crowd. His heart felt like it skipped a beat when he saw Scott beginning to look strained, guilt was beginning to ooze off of him. Allison simply looked determined with her arms crossed. 

“Stiles, it’s good to see you again,” Another familiar voice called forth. 

Stiles jerked his head to the left to see his teacher and guide Deaton walking towards him with an almost annoyingly calm look on his face. He looked no worse for wear and practically was emitting a soothing presence. Stiles had no doubt it was something Deaton was actively controlling to keep everyone around him in a similar calm vein of emotions and not let the crowd mentality leak over to the panic side.

Stiles narrowed his eyes as he instantly knew something was wrong. His instinct wanted him to step back but he stood his ground despite them and stared Deaton down. Deaton was using the tone of voice he used when he was about to give someone bad news and didn’t want them to immediately freak out afterwards. It was something Stiles had hope he never would be on the receiving side of.

“You need to tell me right now Deaton, whatever it is.” Stiles said lowly keeping his eyes trained on his mentor ignoring the few stares they were beginning to pick up.

Deaton didn’t break his stride and kept up his small smile but something in his eyes tightened as he approached Stiles.

“It’s okay Stiles, your Dad is fine.” Deaton spoke slowly and softly now as if he was talking to a dangerous animal he was trying to coral. “We can talk about this further, just not in public.” 

The logical statements just served to piss Stiles off more. 

“Where is he Deaton?” Stiles voice was beginning to fray as were his nerves.

The world needed to just stop with the bullshit that it kept throwing his way. 

Deaton was a mere couple feet in front of him when he came to a stop with his hands clasped behind his back in a posture that displayed a subconscious control over the situation.

“Stiles, it would be best if we continued this conversation in private.” Deaton requested probably noticing the people that were starting to stop what they were doing and observe the rapidly escalating scene.

They made quite the sight with people beginning to recognize him and notice Derek standing behind him probably looking intimidating as all hell. Scott was standing off to the side still with Allison looking more torn and guilty than ever. Stiles didn’t doubt if Allison didn’t have a hand on his shoulder he would have come forward and have said something.

As it was, it was just him and Derek facing off against Deaton. Derek so far being more of a silent but menacing partner.

“I won’t ask again Deaton. If my Dad is fine, then where is he?” Stiles unvoiced threat did not go unnoticed by Deaton as Stiles hope began to crumble and blow away like ash in the wind. Stiles doubted he would win if there was a fight but he knew that Deaton wouldn’t want that kind of thing to happen in front of so many people. Neither did he but he was running out of options as the minutes passed.

"He's not here Stiles." Deaton's voice was blunt as he dropped any kind of pretenses of Stiles having this conversation civilly. 

Stiles took a step forward but again a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He snapped his head back to glare at Derek before he pulled away but stilled when he saw Derek motion for him to look around. The crowd around them had grown of people he recognized and those he didn't. The unfamiliar faces had the same calm look that Deaton did. 

"Now, will you and your friend come and sit down? We have a lot to talk about." Deaton stepped forward to the side and motioned back towards a caravan. 

Stiles was torn. On one had all he wanted to do was turn away and head back towards Sonoma and the other was tugging at him to go forward. He glanced back at Derek and saw him still eyeing everyone around them occasionally sniffing the air as if he was trying to deduce the same thing. 

In the end, there was only really one choice.

Maybe it was in a fit of feeling lost in this new convoluted world that he had somehow stumbled into over the course of a week that had Stiles reaching for Derek's hand. He grasped blindly for it not letting his eyes leave Deaton's and for a second he felt like he was back in the woods, lying on the hard dirt, trying to feel for fur as his life left him. A second later he felt another hand grab for his and at last he felt like he could breathe again.

He felt Derek give his hand a squeeze and that was what finally had Stiles walking forward, head up, towards Deaton. Deaton smiled softly and began to lead the way and parted the crowd as if they were water. Stiles could practically feel the distrust leaking off the people they passed as they eyed him.

Stiles ignored them and soon they were behind him as he and Derek entered into the wooden caravan. It was strewn with what looked like intricate handmade blankets with runes that looked strangely similar to the ones he had inked on his arms. Inside it was lit by the light of candlesticks strategically placed as all the windows were latched shut to prevent any prying eyes. It looked almost bigger on the inside then what the exterior had shown.

Deaton close the door behind him and gestured towards the center table which had the three chairs placed around it. Stiles reluctantly let his hand fall away from Derek's as he took his spot and watched Derek navigate the task of sitting down in an actual chair. It would have been amusing to watch if it had been any other circumstance.

Deaton curiously enough tossed a billowy white shirt towards Derek who caught it effortlessly. He looked down at it like it was something foreign looking like he was about to sniff it. Even so, he pulled it over his head though he pulled at the hem occasionally. It was odd seeing him mostly clothed after being bare chested for so long.

Only once they were settled in their seats did Deaton slip into his chair and knit his fingers together. His eyes held mystery and for a second Stiles thought he saw a glimpse of the man that he truly was before it slipped away from his grasp and the mystery took it place once again. 

"We have a lot to talk about." 

"That's the understatement of the year." Stiles snarked out before he could hold it back but in the end he realized he didn't really care about social protocol at this point. 

"It might just be after what the two of you have started." Deaton pointed out eyeing Stiles down in that mentor like way that made him feel two feet tall. "Do you have any idea what is going on? What you two have ended up doing?"

"Do you care to tell us or are you just going to lecture us?" Derek deadpanned speaking for the first time since entering the encampment. 

"If you two would settle down and listen I am going to." Deaton responded back now giving Derek a once over. 

"Where is my Dad?" Stiles snapped out leaning forward in his chair gripping the table to once again to gain Deaton’s attention, "You don’t have to worry about us creating a scene in here so out with it. You say he's okay so why isn't he here?"

"He is with another camp with my fellows along with some others from Beacon Hills. Simple math would help you deduce that something of this size would not be able to sustain everyone for a long time especially with winter basically upon us." Stiles narrowed his eyes and frowned further, "You should be happy that I had the forethought to keep him away from this place and you two."

"And why is that, why on earth would I be happy about that?" Stiles asked feeling frustrated by the circles Deaton loved to weave.

"Think Stiles, countless hours I have tried to teach you to think things through before jumping in headfirst and all that seems to have been wasted after seeing the multiple stunts you have recently pulled." Deaton said lowly and the candles around them flickered for a second causing Derek to slightly flinch causing him to glare next. "Who burned down Beacon Hills Stiles?"

"The Hunters," Stiles slowly said eyeing Deaton with a confused look now not liking where this was going.

"So do you think they are going to let you two go after doing a stunt like that? That wasn't just revenge, that was a threat." The candles burned low now casting a menacing light on the trio, "You killed some of their best men and worst defied them. You two are very wanted at the moment which means..." Deaton trailed off and motioned for either of them to finish the sentence.

"They will come after us," Derek said as if this was obvious.

"Which means that anyone near us could get hurt." Stiles murmured glancing downwards avoiding the look Deaton was sending him.

"I've kind of been wanted for a while." Derek mentioned with sounded like a bit of sass, "I've had plenty of practice." 

"Then you won't argue the need for you two to stay here for a while and not go gallivant off to your deaths." Deaton threw back. "I can teach both of you what you need to before you will be ready to face them and maybe even change things."

Stiles felt boneless as he sat in ten chair and was faced with another nonchoice. 

"Now my group can shield you for some time but it's not a permanent fix but in that time I hope we can accomplish what I wasn't able to for the last eighteen years. I hope you are fast learner Derek because you to have wasted a lot of time not being the Alpha you need to be."

"How did you-" Derek growled out.

"Now you two need to go have a discussion. If one of you decides this isn't going to work then we are going to have some issues." Deaton stood up from his chair abruptly ignoring Derek's questions. "Leave your bag Stiles. I will give it back if you decide to leave." 

Stiles numbly left his bag on the table as his brain felt like it was about to explode trying to process all the information that had been thrown his way. How could he have been so naive, so stupid not to connect the pieces? To have it thrown in his face was going to be a low point that made him cringe until he died.

He stopped at the door to see Derek was leaning over the table looking all the world like he wanted to throttle Deaton. 

"How did you know that?" Derek demanded practically growling.

"With having so little control over that side of yourself do you really have to ask? Now go, before I regret signing up for this." Deaton dismissed him with another wave of the hand turning his back to Derek.

Stiles had barely blinked before a large crack resounded out and the table was now in two. Deaton hadn't even bothered to turn around to survey the destruciton and was instead focusing on pulling out the blood stained cloak from Stiles bag. Derek now did let out a rough growl before stalking back towards Stiles and easing around him to leave the now stifling caravan.

Stiles soon followed wordlessly after him only giving pause to stare at Deaton's back. No words came forth though leaving the silence undisturbed. Once outside he noticed everyone was still staring at him and the caravan he just had exited. They resumed their activities a second later straining to look casual in the embarrassment of being caught though a few kept up their stares despite being caught.

Choosing to ignore them, Stiles began to walk after Derek. It wasn't hard to keep track of him seeing as there was a wide berth given to the man. Stiles was following in his path trying to sort through everything when he saw Scott approach him from his left.

"Dude, I am so sorry that I lied. Deaton said it was the only way to get you to come with us and I panicked especially after seeing you." Scott rambled out keeping pace with Stiles, "Please don't be mad, my Moms with him to so I'm kinda in the same boat if you think about it."

"Scott, maybe we should give him some space." Allison remarked from further behind.

"I need to know everything's okay Allison."

Stiles stopped suddenly and turned to Scott, "It's not okay Scott. Everything is royally screwed up and currently I am trying to put together the pieces. So please, buddy, give me a second to put my life, ergo the puzzle, into some semblance of put together." 

Scott looked stunned and nodded dumbly as he watched Stiles leave. Stiles would talk to Scott later and try to figure out where their friendship was but right now he needed to do something else. 

He found Derek on the fringe outskirts of the little caravan city they had stumbled into sitting staring at the thicker trees that lay ahead. Wordlessly, Stiles sat next to him cross-legged and leaned heavily into his hands. 

A small wind blew by through the trees rustling the leaves enough for the few left to fall down along the ground near the duo. Stiles watched them slowly descend to the ground with no hopes of ever being reattached back to the tree they came from. They were doomed to lie on the ground until they rotted away to nothingness.

"Any thoughts," Stiles mumbled with his chin resting in his hands. "I honestly feel really lost at the moment so any input of really any kind would work."

Derek didn’t answer right away as his blinked slowly as he stared onward almost as if he hadn’t heard Stiles.

"I could go either way honestly." Derek finally said with a coarse voice. "Going would be more familiar."

“I could see how it would.” Stiles glanced back at the people and the encampment wondering if he could truly trust any one of them at this point. “A part of me still wants to march to Sonoma right now.”

“What’s stopping you?” Derek bluntly asked.

“First off I can’t help but feel like Deaton would bodily stop me at this point and another is a nagging feeling that I wouldn’t make it very far.” Stiles petered off pondering for a second. “Maybe there is more going on than even I or you realize.”

There was still so much he didn’t know about what was going on out there within the other groups vying for survival and even with Derek himself. How could he have any hope of surviving out there in the state he was anyhow? Even now with each deep breath he inhaled, he could feel the stab from his injured ribs. 

Derek’s silence was his answer as the man continued to lock away his thoughts from Stiles. It was frustrating to have someone you trusted on a deeper level to keep so much of themselves off limit. For a moment, Stiles felt alone.

"Will you stay if I stay?" Stiles asked feeling raw and exposed with just a simple question. He needed this one simple validation.

It was then that Derek looked at him instead of the abyss of the forest. When Stiles met his eyes he was staring at the eyes of the wolf that had found him that day in the woods that had protected him from the Hunters instead of simply abandoning or killing him. On Derek it made him feel even more not worthy of such a look. 

"If that is what you want, then yes." Derek said with only honesty in his voice.

"Okay, good," Stiles said nodding while keeping their eyes locked. “Because I think I’m going to stay and I’d like if you did to.”

“I’ll stay,” Derek said sounding like he was trying to reassure himself and Stiles of the fact. 

It felt like some kind of pivotal moment transgressed between them but Stiles only could smile softly. Most of his anger felt like it was draining away like the leaves falling to the ground but locked in his heart a nugget was locked away. That nugget would remember and it wouldn’t forget.

"He said my Dad was okay, was he lying?" Stiles whispered almost afraid to know the answer.

"He was telling the truth Stiles." Derek answered just as quietly but earnestly.

"Alright, then I guess we can stay, for now." Stiles ventured out feeling some heat rise to his face from the prolonged staring and broke his gaze away. "After that, I'm pretty sure we'll know what to do."

"Sounds like a plan." Derek added staring once again at the forest with his eyes glowing a low red before repeating, "Sounds like a plan.”


	18. Chapter 18

New story is out, whoo whoo


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